First snow brings thousands to Murree
Parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir receive first winter rain
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 yesterday, 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.
Helpline announced
The provincial capital of Balochistan, 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. Weather conditions also led to the cancellation or delays of several flights in the northern region.
Meanwhile, with the first December snowfall in Murree, 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.
“Thousands of tourists visited Pindi Point, Kashmir Point, the Mall and Ayubia on Monday” an official of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) said.
As the number of visitors multiplied by afternoon, Murree chief traffic officer Mohammad Bin Ashraf said the traffic police issued advisories, announced helpline assistance for tourists and deployed more staff to control the traffic situation. Snow bikers and the Highway Department of Murree were also alerted.