A strong westerly wave is affecting most parts of the country and may persist till Sunday causing heavy snowfall in Balochistan and upper areas of the country while rain decreased the mercury in Lahore and plain areas of Punjab on Wednesday.
Hot favourite town of tourists Kalam received a record 16 inches of snow during the last 24 hours.
Snowfall (inches) in the past 24 hours: Malamjabba, Kalam 12, Murree 03, Chitral 01, Gupis, Bagrote, Skardu, Hunza Trace.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Lowari Tunnel—10.4 km vehicular tunnel under the Lowari Pass of the Hindu Kush mountains, between Dir and Chitral in KP—has been closed for all kinds of tourists.
Heavy snowfall also continued in Tirah Valley which is the tourist spot of Khyber district of the erstwhile FATA that has now been merged into KP.
Weather office said heavy snowfall has also been going on in South Waziristan’s Wana town. Moreover, Razmak Road and Angoor Adda trade highway are closed due to snowfall leaving people trapped in their homes.
The Yakh Tangi—tourist spot of Shanglla—have also received heavy snowfall. However, tourists have been enjoying the picturesque view of the valley. In Azad Jammu Kashmir, people have been confined to their homes as they could not commute amid the heavy snowfall.
The land communication between Leepa valley and divisional headquarters Hattiyan Bala has been cut off. Other areas of Hatian Bala like Pando, Khulna, Bani Hafiz, Sena, Daman, Gujar Bandi and Syedan Bandi are also in the grip of heavy snowfall while it reported that classes have been conducting as per usual despite harsh weather conditions and students have to walk to school amid thick snow despite road closures.
Heavy snowfall and rain lashed Balochistan’s Pasni, Omara, Gwadar. The authorities have imposed an emergency in Gwadar and nearby cities to counter the losses from the recent rains and snowfall. In Ziarat, authorities spread salt on roads to reduce the accidents and for safer drives as roads become slippery after heavy snowfall.
Lahore’s skyline has turned back to blue after a charcoal like environment for the last few months as rain clears the air and evades the smog and polluted particles from the air.—INP
