Fog engulfs plains, suspends traffic on highways

Dense fog continued to blanket the country’s plains, especially of Punjab, on Sunday morning as well, disrupting the flow of traffic as different sections of the motorway had to be closed due to poor visibility, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Section of the motorway from Lahore to Darkhana (M-3) was closed; from Lahore to Balksar interchange (M-2) was also closed, while part of the motorway connecting Lahore to Sialkot (M-11) had also to be closed for traffic on account of thick fog.

Visibility on M-3 and M-11 became almost nil as early as 9:00 PM on Saturday night, prompting the authorities to close them immediately in order to prevent any mishap, while the stretch of the motorway between Lahore and Islamabad was closed at 7:00 AM in the morning.   

Fog not only created inconvenience for motorists on motorways and highways but also in the cities, particularly those of Punjab, including Lahore, Narowal and Kharian. 

There was zero visibility in some areas of the Punjab capital early in the morning, while biting cold also created inconvenience for the people.       

The air quality index (AQI) in the city was recorded at 166 while the minimum temperature at 8 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperature in the provincial capital is expected to go up to 18 degrees Celsius in the afternoon, while the humidity level to 80 per cent. 

Weathermen, on the other hand, forecast cold and dry weather for the city for the next 24 hours.  

Thick fog engulfing Kharian not only disrupted the traffic flow but also caused a considerable drop in temperatures. 

The situation was no different in Narowal and Kartarpur town, which lie east to Kharian, where, too, routine life was badly affected by the fog while cool breeze further increased chillness.

Meanwhile, after experiencing sunshine yesterday (Saturday), the weather turned cloudy in the Punjab’s northern city of Kahuta.  

Winter, however, is beginning to retreat in Karachi, the country’s port city, as the maximum temperature is expected to hover between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. 

The minimum temperature was recorded at 13 degrees Celsius while it is expected to increase in the next couple of days.

The Met Office predicted rain accompanied by strong winds for Islamabad, other parts of the Potohar region, Sialkot, Narowal and Gujrat in Punjab and different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while snow over the hills in KP, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Balochistan during the next 24 hours.  

Reporters: Komal Aslam, Hasnain Aulakh, Faran Yamin, Syed Tanveer Naqvi, Yasir Arafat, Umar Butt, Rozeena Ali and Adia Naz