LAHORE - Parts of the country, including Lahore, received rainfall of varying intensities on Friday.

The rain caused urban flooding, massive traffic jams and power breakdowns. Roads in major cities, including Lahore, were presenting scenes of lakes and ponds even hours after the rain.

In Lahore, the rain started at around 2:30pm and continued for more than an hour. Roads and streets in low-lying areas as well as several posh localities were under knee-deep water after the rain. It took Wasa several hours to drain out rainwater on the roads. Several roads could not be cleared even till late night. Massive traffic jams were seen on a number of key roads under rainwater. Dozens of vehicles were seen broken down in various localities. Several incidents of motorcycle skidding were reported in parts of the city.

The Mall, Jail Road, Ferozepur Road, Shahrah-e-Fatima Jinnah, Sir Aga Khan Road, Kashmir Road, Cooper Road, Garhi Shahu, Lakshmi Chowk, Ek Moriya Pul, Do Moriya Pul, Nabha Road, Gulberg Main Boulevard, Qartaba Chowk, GPO Chowk, Shah Jamal, Bhati Chowk, Liberty Market and Firdous Market were among the worst-affected areas.

High velocity winds and downpour made dozens of Lesco feeders trip, depriving people in parts of Lahore of electricity. At least one dozen Lesco feeders could not be restored till late night.

Rain and wind, however, brought the mercury level down and made the weather pleasant. Maximum and minimum temperature in Lahore was recorded at 36 degree Celsius and 26 degree Celsius, respectively. Relative humidity in the evening was recorded at 61 per cent.

People came out of their houses in the evening to enjoy the pleasant weather after the rainfall. Major parks and picnic spots attracted a large number of people, including women and children. A huge rush was seen at Greater Iqbal Park, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Jillani Park, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Jallo Park, Lahore Zoo and other picnic spots in the city. Traffic jams were seen on roads in the vicinity of these picnic spots.

According to experts, a seasonal low lies over north Balochistan. Monsoon currents are penetrating southern parts of the country and are likely to continue during the next 2-3 days. A shallow westerly wave is affecting western parts of the country and is likely to persist over the next few days.

The meteorological department has forecast partly cloudy weather with chances of rain/thundershowers for Lahore during the next couple of days.

Rain-thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls and gusty winds are expected at a number of places in lower Sindh (Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Karachi divisions), Balochistan ( Zhob, Kalat, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Makran) and at scattered places in Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, upper Punjab (Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha), Sindh (Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad divisions), Islamabad, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Islamkot received 57mm rain, Lahore 47mm, Badin 40mm, Mithi 31mm, Parachinar 30mm, Diplo 20mm, Chhor 16mm, Nagarparkar 14mm, Chachro 12mm, Dahli 8mm, Okara 3mm, Ormara 2mm and Karachi 1mm.