Covered in white: Parts of K-P get season’s first snowfall

Other parts of province receive rain, weather turns pleasant

PESHAWAR: The first snowfall of the season was recorded on the high peaks of Malakand, along with rainfall in several parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Sporadic intervals of rain are likely to cause landslides in Hazara and glacial lake outburst flood in Chitral.

“Around one millimetre of rain was recorded in Peshawar whereas thunderstorms with rains were forecast for the next 24 hours in Malakand and Hazara divisons, along with Bannu, Kohat and Peshawar,” said an official of the meteorological department in Peshawar. “The snowfall is seasonal and is expected to occur on peaks above 7,000 metres.” Other parts where it rained included Shangla, Chitral, Lower Dir and Upper Dir.

Changing temperatures

Various parts of Shangla district received heavy rain whereas a few mountain tops adjacent to Kalam in Swat received the first snowfall of winter. The rain started in the early hours of Tuesday. In some parts of the region, rain caused traffic to come to a standstill. Although rain was reported in most parts of Chitral district, snowfall was reported only in the mountainous areas of Mulkoh in upper Chitral. Subsequently, a low intensity flood was reported in nullahs around the Lowari top. However, no losses were reported.



In Upper Dir and Lower Dir, rain affected the sale of sacrificial animals. Light snowfall was also reported in areas of Upper Dir that were adjacent to Chitral.

Similarly, rain in Buner caused damage to standing crops in Amazai and Chamla. As per the forecast by Pakistan Meteorological Department, rain is likely to continue over the next 24 hours with heavy fall in different areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2015.