Rain and snow as cold wave sweeps

As the cold wave continues to grip most cities of the country, various parts in Punjab, Kashmir and adjacent hilly terrains on Friday experienced additional bouts of rain and snow on mountainous landscapes accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms.

In Lahore, the heavy rains improved air quality which fell to 129, compared to 422 earlier in the week which had prompted a four day closure of most businesses and offices.

Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir said markets would now be allowed to open on Friday but restaurants, offices, schools, cinemas and parks would stay shut until Monday.

Moreover, Babusar Pass was closed for traffic in the wake of heavy snowfall, officials said on Friday. In response to heavy snowfall, the district administration has taken the decision to close the Babusar Top in Mansehra, imposing restriction on all types of traffic.

Read more: Rain, hailstorm lash parts of capital

According to a spokesperson for the Mansehra Police, the recreational area of Babusar Top Road has been entirely shut down, prohibiting any movement and traffic.

Individuals planning to travel from Babu Sir Top to destinations like Gilgit and Khunjerab via the Naran Road are advised against it due to the ongoing snowfall.

All the citizens are urged to use the main Karakuram Highway (KKH) Road for travel to places such as Gilgit.

Similarly, there's a looming possibility of fog settling in the plains of Punjab during night and morning hours on Saturday (today).

The Meteorological Department forecasts a dry spell in the majority of the country on Saturday, with the upper regions enduring a biting cold. The plains of Upper Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may witness fog in the morning.

Over the last 24 hours, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Islamabad, and Upper/Central Punjab experienced gusty winds and thunderstorms, along with scattered snowfall. Meanwhile, other parts of the country remained dry.

The mercury in Kalam plummeted to minus 1 degree Celsius and Leh recorded the lowest temperature at minus 2 degrees Celsius.

According to the Meteorological Department's data, Rawalpindi in Punjab received the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours, with Chaklala reporting 79mm, Attock 69mm, Murree 56mm, Mangala 45mm, Bokra 54mm in Islamabad, Golra 46mm, Mandi Bahauddin 33mm, Chakwal 32mm, Jhelum 29mm, Sialkot 25mm, Gujranwala 22mm, Sargodha 12mm, Gujarat 09mm, and Lahore 08mm.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kakul recorded 57mm, Balakot 49mm, Malam Jabba 31mm, DI Khan 18mm, Mir Khani 14mm, Saidu Sharif 13mm, Bannu 9mm, Peshawar 3mm, and Dir (Lower 3mm, Upper 2mm) of rainfall during the same period.