LAHORE: After a recent spell of dense fog and freezing weather conditions in the city, a light rain hit the walled city on Tuesday with chances that dense patches of fog would now disappear.
Apart from Lahore, other parts of upper Punjab also received light to moderate rain today.
Heavy fog disrupted air, train and road travel in almost the entire region of the Punjab and few other areas of the country.
Motorway Police warned the civilians across the province to avoid unnecessary travel and must use fog lights to stay away from any untoward incidents.
They also closed Motorway M-4 from Faisalabad to Gojra due to fog and said that visibility at Motorway M-3 from Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad ranged from 15-20 metres only.
“All the sections of the motorway except Motorway M-4 have been opened for traffic,” said a spokesperson for Motorway Police.
Meanwhile, after light rain earlier today, the Pakistan’s Meteorological Department was expecting that a proper rain spell in Lahore in the coming days would lift fog, at least in the city.
However, they also feared that the fog would continue to persist in the plains of the province and Sindh during dusk and dawn.
Every year and particularly in December, thick clouds of fog descends upon Lahore and the province, blocking out the winter sunshine, closing off the motorway after dusk and preventing flights from landing at the international airport at night.
However, the problem has grown worse over the last couple of years because of the increased levels of pollution and poor air quality in the city, created by high vehicular and industrial emissions.
Even during the humid months of summer, there is a permanent haze hanging over Lahore that is relieved only when it rains as the pollution is washed away for a brief while.
Rain and snow
Lahore was chilly and soaked in rain waiter on Tuesday and so does other regions of Punjab and the upper parts of the country.
People in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Malakand, Peshawar and Swat welcomed light rain during wee hours on Tuesday. Similarly, Chiniot, Chakwal and Pindi Bhattian received winter rain today after a dry spell.
In the next 24 hours, the Met Office has predicted more rains in Fata (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Lahore, Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan, and Kashmir.
Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail (DI) Khan, Zhob and Quetta were expected to receive light rain soon in some areas and snow at hilly regions, said the Met Office.
Meanwhile, a snow spell surprised locals in upper Pakistan. The famous Lowari Top in Chitral was closed for all kinds of traffic on Tuesday after a snowfall, as the temperature dropped further in the area.
Snow continued in Nanga Parbat, Babusar Top, Batoga Top and on the mountains of Neelam Valley in Muzaffarabad.
On Tuesday, Murree received its first snowfall of the cold season while, Swat, Malam Jabba, Kalam and adjoining areas also remained covered under snowflakes.
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