LAHORE - Plains of the country including Lahore remained in the grip of severe heat wave yesterday with large scale power outages and water shortage adding to the woes of heat stricken people.

Experts have forecast the prevailing harsh weather conditions to persist during the next 2-3 days. Larkana, Sukkur, Bhakkar, RY Khan and NoorpurThal remained the hottest places in the country where mercury rose as high as 48 degree Celsius.

Maximum temperature in Dadu, Sibbi, Jacobabad, Shaheed Benazirabad and Bahawalnagar was recorded 47C, Okara, Jhelum, Bahawalpur, Joharabad, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Padidan, Moenjodaro, Hyderabad and Rohri 46C. In Lahore, maximum and minimum temperature was recorded 46C and 30C respectively. Relative humidity in the evening was recorded 15 per cent.

Due to the intense heat, people avoided unnecessarily coming out, reducing traffic at otherwise busy roads at noon and in the afternoon. The Lahore Canal, as usual, attracted a large number of people including women and children. Not only the youth but also elderly people were seen bathing in the canal. According to the experts, seasonal low lies over central Balochistan with its trough extending south-eastwards. A shallow westerly wave is passing over northern areas.

The meteorological department has forecast mainly hot and dry weather for most parts of the country during the next 2-3 days. Very hot weather conditions are likely to continue over plain areas of Punjab, central and southern Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, upper Sindh, Sibbi and Makran divisions.

Rain-thunderstorm with gusty winds is expected at few places in Malakand, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan divisions, Islamabad, upper FATA, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.