Snowfall comes early to Chitral

First snowfall recorded in Bonney area of upper Chitral

CHITRAL: Mountains in upper Chitral and the surrounding areas received the first snowfall of the season on Thursday. The district of Chitral is among the rare areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) that have not witnessed a single spell of rain during monsoon months this year.

“Winter snows have started in the upper areas prior to their forecast,” Regional Director Met Office Mushtaq Shah told The Express Tribune.



“The first snowfall was recorded in the Bonney area of upper Chitral while heavy rains were also reported from the drought-hit areas of lower Chitral,” he said.

“According to normal weather patterns, areas of K-P and Punjab get the first snowfall of winter in early November each year. But this year, we are witnessing anomalies in the weather [pattern] in terms of hailstorms and early arrival of the winter season. We expect that the winter may prolong its presence in the hilly areas of K-P and Punjab,” Shah added.



Locals also fear that due to the harsh weather in the summer and the rapid pace of melting snow, the chances of flooding in the lower districts of K-P and Chitral have increased.

Meanwhile, heavy rain was also recorded in Malakand, Swabi and scattered areas of the districts of Mardan and Peshawar.