A long spell of dry weather was finally over when different parts of central Punjab, including Lahore, received rain on Monday,  bringing smiles to people’s faces who had been yearning for the dry spell to be over for the last couple of months. While on the one hand, the rain came as a relief for the people, it also made the weather colder.  Besides Lahore, showers were reported from Chunian, Renala Khurd, Pattoki, Pakpattan, Allahabad, Fort Abbas and Arifwala.  In Lahore, rainfall was reported from different localities such as Shahdara, Chauburji, Garhi Shahu, Shimla Paharri and Harbanspura.

The Met Office said that the maximum temperature in the Punjab capital would reach 18 degrees Celsius later in the day while it would remain seven degrees Celsius on the minimum side.  Lahore emerges as world’s fourth most polluted city On the other hand, Lahore was fourth on the list of the world’s most polluted cities, with an AQI of 224. The AQI over Phase 8, DHA was recorded at 418.  Similarly, it was 379 over Chatha Park, 340 over the US consulate, 308 over Askari-10 and 259 over Johar Town.  Meanwhile, drains and streams in Upper Dir and the country’s other northern areas have frozen on account of bitterly cold and dry weather, persisting in these parts for the last several days.

Nighttime temperature over higher elevations has dropped to -3. The extreme cold has forced parents of the students studying at private schools to demand the start of winter vacations as was the case with the government schools.    The weather department forecast that the provincial capital and other central parts of the Punjab would continue to receive rain during the next 24 hours, due to which the weather would become chillier.  Similarly, it predicted rain, with snow over the hills in the northern areas of the country.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)