LAHORE - Plains of the country including Lahore remained in the grip of cold wave on Monday with experts predicting the prevailing conditions to persist during the next couple of days.
Moderate to dense fog disturbed normal routine by disrupting rail and air traffic besides hampering vehicular movement on major inter and intra city routes including Motorway and National Highway from late night to early morning. Low gas pressure and large scale loadshedding added to the woes of cold stricken people. In parts of Lahore, women faced huge difficulties in cooking meals for their families.
Parachinar remained the coldest place in the country where mercury dropped 09 degree Celsius below the freezing point. Minimum temperature in Skardu was recorded -07 C, Gupis -05 C, Astore, Kalat and Hunza -03 C, Gilgit, Malamjabba and Rawalakot -02 C and Dir -01 C.
Maximum and minimum temperature in Lahore was recorded 15 C and 05 C respectively. Relative humidity in the evening was recorded 72 per cent. According to the experts, a fresh western disturbance is affecting upper parts of the country that will persist in following couple of days.
The local meteorological department has forecast cold and dry weather for most parts of the country during the next couple of days. However, rain with snow over hills is expected at isolated places of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, upper Punjab (Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Gujranwala divisions), Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Intensity of fog is likely to reduce over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh from Tuesday.