LAHORE - Parts of the country remained in the grip of severe heat wave on Friday with experts predicting the prevailing harsh weather conditions to persist during the next couple of days.
Weather remained hot and dry in most parts of the country. However, rain-thunderstorm occurred at few places of Malakand division, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. In Lahore, mercury rose as high as 46 degree Celsius, making Friday the hottest day of current summer.
Larkana remained hottest place in the country where mercury rose as high as 51 degree Celsius. Maximum temperature in Jaccobabad was recorded 50 C, Shaheed Benazirabad, Moenjodaro, Sibbi and Rahim Yar Khan 49 C, Bhakkar, Noorpur Thal, Sukkur and Rohri 48 C, Turbat, Bahawalpur, Okara, Bahawalnagar and Padidan 47 C, Jhang, D G Khan, Khanpur, Sahiwal, Mandi Bahauddin 46 C, Mirpur Khas, Multan, Faisalabad, Jehlum, D I KHAN, Toba Tek Singh, Gujrat, Hyderabad, Mithi and Chhor 45 C.
In Lahore, people avoided unnecessarily coming out, decreasing traffic on otherwise busy roads at noon and in the afternoon. Lahore canal, as usual, attracted a large number of people including women and children. Not only youth but also elderly people were seen taking bath in the canal water. At certain places, even women were seen beating the heat by taking a dip in the mud coloured water. According to the experts, fresh western disturbance is affecting northern area and would persist during next 24 hours. Local meteorological department has forecast mainly hot and dry weather for most parts of the country during the next couple of days. However, dust-thunderstorm /rain is expected at isolated places of Khyber PK (Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar and Kohat divisions), Islamabad, upper Punjab (Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Sargodha divisions), Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.