Here to stay: Galiyat and other areas receive snowfall

Met dept says rainfall, snow to continue over next 48 hours

ABBOTABAD/ PESHAWAR:

It is often said when it rains, it pours, but the same can be said about snow in Galiyat which fell for the second time in eight days, signaling the end of an unusually dry spell.

The valley which normally receives snowfall between December 15 and 25 had to wait an additional month till January 13, said locals.

The second snowfall of winter came just over a week later at around 1pm on Sunday and continued till the filing of this report. Police and locals said the area received about six to eight inches of snowfall and it continued till the filing of this report.

A traffic policeman keeps order on the roads in Khyber Bazaar, Peshawar. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS

The main Murree-Abbottabad road and other link roads remained open, but are likely to close down if snowfall persists.

People from other parts of the country thronged Galiyat to catch a glimpse of the snow.

Meanwhile, locals and police said power supply to the valley was suspended for the whole day due to a fault in the transmission lines.

A Pesco official added broken tree branches fell on power lines in different places, causing tripping. He added efforts were under way to trace the fault and rectify it as soon as possible.

The hilly areas of Kaghan Valley also received mild snowfall with slight drizzle in Kohistan, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad city and Haripur. The mercury dropped considerably as a result.

More rain

Light rain in parts of K-P on Wednesday made the weather misty, spewing sand and dust across the province. Peshawar Regional Meteorological Centre Director Mushtaq Shah said the Western Disturbance entered K-P on Wednesday via Iran and Afghanistan.

Officials of the meteorological department forecast intermittent rain spells for another 48 hours. Officials said Bannu division received the most rainfall in the province with 17 millimetres (mm), while 11mm fell in Dir and 9mm in Timergara.

According to the Met department, 5mm of rain was recorded in Peshawar till Wednesday evening.

A prolonged dry spell came to an end in Hangu district on Wednesday and lowered the temperature considerably. The rain started on Wednesday morning and spread much cheer among the locals who had been waiting for some time for the dry spell to end. Snowfall was also reported in the mountainous region of Orakzai Agency.

The areas of Chakisar, Alpuri, Shahpur, Poran and other parts of Shangla district also received rainfall. According to locals, snowfall was recorded in the hilly areas of the district.

Intermittent rains are expected to continue over the next 48 hours across the province, including in Peshawar, Kohat, DI Khan, Bannu, Malakand, Dir, Chitral, Kalam, Swat and Mansehra, he said. Snowfall is also expected on the hills of Chitral, Kalam, Kaghan and Naran and may block roads. The rains changed the weather across the province, putting an end to the dry winds in different parts including Peshawar.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2015.