AJK, twin cities: Heavy rain bring temperatures down

According to the Meteorological Office, 6mm of rain was recorded in Rawalpindi and 7mm in Islamabad.

MUZAFFARABAD/ ISLAMABAD:

Heavy rain coupled with mild-to-strong winds brought the temperatures down in twin cities on Sunday evening. The upper reaches of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) also received heavy rain and snow.

According to the Meteorological Office, six millimetres (mm) of rain was recorded in Rawalpindi and seven mm in Islamabad.

Rainwater flooded various localities in Rawalpindi including Kirtarpura, Lalkurti, Dhok Chiraghdin, Railway Road, Dhok Mangal, Bhabara Bazaar and Ganjmandi due to clogged drains.

Meanwhile, up north, the Met Office said that Athmuqam, the district headquarters of Neelum Valley received five mm, as did Muzaffarabad, while Havayli received four mm of rain in the last 12 hours.

The Met Office said that the plains of AJK will witness cold winds during the next 24 hours. According to the Met Office, Neelum Valley, Leepa Valley and Havayli remained under the grip of cold. The Met Office has predicted widespread rain and snow in the hilly areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2014.