Intermittent showers turn weather cold across Punjab

PMD says westerly wave likely to affect the province till Wednesday

LAHORE: Incessant rain has turned the weather cold across Punjab. For cricket fans, the light shower at around 1:30pm was a harbinger of bad news. The authorities were compelled to call off the final T20 match between Pakistan and Bangladesh as drizzle dampened the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) weather report reveals that a westerly wave is affecting different parts of the country, which is likely to persist in the upper parts till Wednesday.

The report further states that a thunderstorm would continue up to Tuesday (today) in Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh and Chiniot districts. Cold and dry weather is expected elsewhere in Punjab.

The weather report highlighted that a thunderstorm hit Sargodha, Faisalabad, Khushab, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Lahore, Gujranwala, Narowal, Hafizabad, Okara, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhakkar, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Khanewal, Kasur, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan districts on Monday, while the weather remained cold and dry in the other districts of the province.

The PMD recorded rainfall of 6 millimetres (mm) in Sargodha, Jhang and Lahore, while 4mm rain was recorded at the Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Data shows that 2mm rain was recorded in Kot Addu, 1mm in Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Haizabad, Okara, Bhakkar and Kasur. Furthermore, slight rain was recorded in Joharabad, Gujranwala, Narowal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and Khanpur.

Power outage

Dozens of electricity distribution feeders of the power supply company tripped and threw several areas of the provincial capital in darkness.

A spokesperson for the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) said officials were trying to restore supply in various areas, including Township, Johar Town, Faisal Town, Karim Park, Badami Bagh, Bhati Gate, Shairanwala Gate, Shad Bagh, Shahdara, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Samnabad and Chauburji.

He said the power supply would be restored in all areas after the rain stops as the line staff could not perform their duties during it.

A chilly winter

Some weeks ago, Lahore had witnessed one of the chilliest winter mornings as the mercury level dipped to 1°C.

PMD’s extreme temperature record showed that the provincial capital witnessed its coldest morning 85 years ago on January 17, 1935 when the temperature went sub-zero, plummeting to -2.2°C. Fifteen years later, the mercury level fell to -1.1°C on the eve of December 28. Earlier on February 2, 1934 the temperature scale touched the freezing point (0°C).

The PMD data further showed that low temperature was recorded across Punjab this winter as mercury hovered between -2 and 0°C in Murree. It stayed between 0-2°C in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal, 1-3°C in Lahore, 2-4°C in Sargodha, 3-5°C in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Faisalabad and 4-6°C in Sahiwal and Bahawalpur.

Asian Development Bank’s report on the climate change profile of Pakistan highlights that Pakistan potentially faces a major climate change challenge. The annual mean temperature in Pakistan has increased by roughly half-degree Celsius.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2020.