It’s freezing: Get your umbrellas, Met Office forecasts heavy rain

Best time to travel on the motorway is between 10am and 6pm, says NHMP.

LAHORE:

Thick fog blanketed most of the cities in the Punjab and mercury dropped close to zero in several districts on Sunday.

National Highway and Motorway Police spokesman Imran Shah said that the Motorway had been closed for traffic from Lahore to Pindi Bhattian; from Sheikhupura to Lahore; from Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad; and from Peshawar to Islamabad, because of poor visibility. He said that the Motorway had been closed for traffic at various intervals in view of the dense fog cover.



According to the Met Office’s short-term forecast, moderate to heavy rainfall and thundershowers were expected in Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi divisions and Islamabad over the next 24 hours.

The office has warned that the heavy rains might lead to flash floods in vulnerable areas. Isolated pockets of rain have been forecast for Sargodha, Faisalabad and Sahiwal divisions.

The Met Office said cold continental air entering the country had caused the sudden drop in temperature. It said the northern areas of the country had experienced a drastic drop in temperature. Skardu was by far the coldest city, with a minimum temperature of -8.0 degrees Celsius, followed by Risalpur -7.0 degrees Celsius, Gilgit with -6.5 and Quetta recording -6 degrees Celsius.

Lahore city was covered in thick fog for nearly two hours in the morning. The fog dispersed during the day but the city remained misty and cold. The maximum temperature recorded in Lahore was 11 degrees Celsius during the day and the minimum, on Sunday night, was 3 degrees Celsius.

The Met Office said that it expected dense fog in the city on Monday morning. The office said that the temperature was expected to drop further in the next few days.

NHMP spokesman Imran Shah has requested people to use fog lights on their vehicles to ensure road safety. He urged drivers to maintain reasonable distance between vehicles when driving in fog. Hazard lights and fog lights should be switched on at all times when travelling on the roads in fog, he said.

Shah said the best time to travel on the motorway was between 10am and 6pm.

“In case of an emergency, please contact the National Highways and Motorway police at their Helpline 130,” he said.

The spokesperson advised travellers to check the fog situation prior to departure. “Please do not attempt to overtake vehicles in foggy weather, Shah said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2014.