The heavy hail, unusual for Lahoris, left most residents of the city astonished by the change in weather. However, many residents took to the street to enjoy the rare view of a ‘white Lahore’.
The eastern part of the city reported three to five inches of accumulated hail stones. Data Darbar, Bhati Gate, Circular Road, Allama Iqbal Road, Garhi Shahu, Davis Road, Fortress Stadium, eastern part of The Mall and Shadman were covered by a white sheet of ice. The hail also caused a traffic jam as bicycles and motorbike riders had a hard time maneuvering over the ice.
Ahmad Raza, who was driving along the Mall said he had to stop and seek shelter under a tree once the hail began fearing his car’s windscreen. “The wait lasted for nearly half an hour. I listened to classical music the whole time. The weather was actually quite romantic,” he said.
Several other commuters said that they had immediately parked under trees they could spot to seek shelter from the hail. “It became impossible to keep driving. Everyone was pulling over and just witnessing the rare sight of ice on Lahore’s streets,” Raza said. “No one ever expects hail to continue for over half an hour in Lahore,” said Altaf, adding that the roads were covered with ice and that traffic stood still. “I saw many bikers searching for shelter because the hailstones were hurting them,” he said.
But youngsters were seen on the streets playing in the hail. “I don’t think I’ll see something like this in our lifetimes again. So we’ve been taking pictures,” said Saeed Akhtar, adding that he never thought he would see the streets of Lahore covered in ice. “I’ve already taken part in nearly six ice-ball fights,” he said.
When things got clearer scores of people took to the streets covered with ice. Most roads in the city were fully covered by now with a layer of ice and there was no one to clear the roads. Vehicles moved at a snails’ pace resulting in dozens of traffic jams at all major roads. Traffic police found it hard to control the flow of traffic but no major accidents were reported.
Meteorological Department (MET) director Ajmal Shaad told The Express Tribune that it was very hard to predict such a small scale hail. He said that a couple of weeks ago a little hailing was reported from Johar Town. “This is totally normal and there is nothing sensational about it,” he said.
Shaad was unable to say immediately how much hail was observed in various parts of the city but said that the weather would clear up tomorrow.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2011.
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