Our Correspondent
Swat
Higher mountains in Swat received first snowfall of the season on Wednesday after rain hit the area Tuesday, bringing a much-needed albeit limited and short-lived change in weather. But this event was isolated as Pakistan – with the exception of Sindh province – is grappling with the aftermath of the drier-than-usual monsoon season.
According to reports on Wednesday morning, the snowfall was reported from Mahodand (Ushu Valley), Gabral and Utror where mountaintops turned white. These valleys are located near Kalam at much higher elevation. Earlier on Tuesday, rain was reported from Saidu Sharif, Mingora and parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. This isolated event took place as a weak westerly was affecting Central Asia, which had some effects on the adjoining region of Pakistan.
It is worth noting that the Central Asians States too have been experiencing dry weather. And there is very little hope of any significant rain soon in Pakistan after high pressure developed over the Central Asia and most of Afghanistan, thus blocking the very possibility of any weather system moving from the west. That’s why Karachi has been experiencing a heatwave induced by wind flow from north to northwest over Sindh.
The day time temperature in port city may reach 40 to 42 degree Celsius during this period. Meanwhile, Lahore and other parts of Punjab may face extreme smog after monsoon mostly skipped the province and the northwest of India this year. The air quality is already very poor as the city did not have any rain September and 14 days of October have already passed.
