Islamabad: Punjab’s northern areas as well as upper Sindh were blanketed by dense fog on Sunday as was forecast by the Met Office a day earlier (Saturday).
At least two persons lost their lives while four others sustained severe injuries in fog-related accidents in different cities of the province.
Visibility had dropped to zero on main roads across the province and the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway was closed for all traffic, while the flight operation at the Allama Iqbal International Airport was disrupted due to the severe weather condition.
M-3 section of Multan-Lahore Motorway, M-2 Lahore-Islamabad Motorway also remained closed for traffic due to fog and low visibility.
At M-1 Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, traffic police have advised the commuters to switch on fog lights and drive at slow speed.
The motorway police have also requested people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling.
The meteorological department has forecast rain in Lahore, Islamabad and Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir in the next 24 hours.
On the other hand, the chilly weather coupled with dense fog starting around 6pm for the last couple of days has badly disrupted routine life, especially for those travelling within or outside the cities.
The cold weather and wind in Punjab and upper Sindh confined most people indoors.
Cloudy weather
The Met Office stated that a westerly wave has approached the upper and western parts of the country and it may persist in the upper parts till Monday.
It added that cloudy weather was expected in the upper areas with rain and snowfall in Gilgit-Baltistan, upper KP and north Balochistan. Dense fog is likely to persist in the plain areas of Punjab.
According to Net office, the minimum temperature in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Multan, Sahiwal and Rahim Yar Khan was 3.4, 3.17, 3.8, 3.5, 5.2, 5.5 and 5.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
There will be light showers in Lahore and other cities of Punjab, it further says.
Fog will also continue to dominate the Punjab and upper Sindh areas,” a Met official told.
“There are sunny days ahead, however nights and early mornings will remain in the grip of severe cold coupled with fog,” the Met office has further forecast.
