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Islamabad: The first winter rain in Islamabad added to the chill, as temperatures dipped to 8°C in Pakistan’s capital.
Islamabad and its twin city, Rawalpindi, along with different parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, received the first winter rain on Monday, offering relief from the dry and smoggy weather.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department said a westerly wave brought the rain and snowfall into northern Pakistan.
Other parts that received intermittent rain, which intensified the cold wave conditions, included Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Saidu Sharif received 21mm of rainfall followed by 18mm in Peshawar and 13mm in Islamabad, according to the Met office.
The provincial capital of Balochistan province, Quetta, and southern city of Karachi also received scattered showers, turning the weather pleasant.
A Met Office spokesperson said the rain spell would persist for 24 hours.
Resident in the northern areas of Pakistan woke up to blanket of snow.
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A 15cm snowfall was recorded in Malam Jabba and Astore, while the figure was 10cm in Kalaam and Skardu where temperatures plummeted to -4C.
Weather conditions also led to the cancellation or delay of several flights in the northern region.
The rainy weather was a blessing for those suffering from different types of respiratory allergies as it improved the air quality from “satisfactory” to “moderate” level.
Infectious disease specialist at District Headquarters Hospital, Rawalpindi, Dr Lubna Mairaj, told Gulf News that the “smoggy weather conditions over the last few weeks led to increased number of patients with complaints related to throat, chest and respiration.”
She hoped the rain would bring relief to people suffering from allergies.
The cold and soggy conditions, however, did not deter foodies in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, who enjoyed traditional winter food including carrot halwa, chicken soup, Kashmiri tea, fried fish and pakoras.
Many families warmed up over hot chocolate and coffee at local cafés in Islamabad.
“Rainy winter day is simply incomplete without hot coffee and brownies for me” said Sadia Ashar, 19, who enjoyed the day with her college friends at a coffee shop.
Tourists throng Murree to enjoy first snowfall
With the first December snowfall in Murree, local tourists mainly from twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi headed to Pakistan’s most popular hill station Murree, famously known as “Queen of Hills.”
Thrilled tourists and locals took to social media to share their photos and videos of the resort town blanketed in white.
To enjoy views of snow-covered hilltops, “Thousands of tourists visited Pindi Point, Kashmir Point, the Mall and Ayubia on Monday” an official of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) shared. PTDC facilitates tourists during peak seasons and has also announced discount packages to attract them, he added.
As the number of visitors multiplied by afternoon, Murree Chief Traffic Officer Muhammad Bin Ashraf said the traffic police issued traffic advisory, announced helpline assistance of tourists and deployed more staff to control the traffic situation. Snow bikers and Highway Department of Murree were also alerted to avoid any untoward incident.
