Temperatures plummet in Punjab as fog refuses to relent

Fog that has been gripping Lahore and other parts of Punjab for the last one month has also led to a considerable drop in temperatures, especially daytime temperatures, which are well below the average, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Biting cold has affected routine life as well as people have been mostly confined to their homes and restricted their outdoor activities. The weather is chillier, especially in villages and small towns of the province.

The Met Office, on the other hand, on Thursday predicted minimum temperature in the Punjab capital and other parts of the province to drop to 4 degrees Celsius and even less.  

On the other hand, fog has again become dense especially in central parts of Punjab for the last few days as visibility dropped to almost nil in and around the provincial capital on Thursday.

Motorways closed; traffic moves at snail’s pace on highways

Bad weather again resulted in the closure of different sections of the motorway for traffic. 

M 2, from Lahore to Kot Momin, M 3, M 4, M 5, a section of the motorway between Lahore and Sialkot, and M 1, from Peshawar to Burhan, had to be closed after they were engulfed by dense fog.  

Spokesman for the Motorway Police (MP) Syed Imran Ahmad, on the other hand, said that motorways had to be closed in order to ensure the safety of motorists.

He advised road users to first avoid travelling, and if it was really necessary choose the daytime as fog is less dense during the day. “Commuting between 10 in the morning and 6 in the evening is advisable,” he said, and added, “Also turn the fog lights of your vehicles on while driving. Avoid driving at a fast speed and keep distance from other vehicles.”

The spokesman asked people to dial helpine no 130 in case of an emergency or for information.

Flights operation disrupted at Lahore airport

Fog that reduced visibility at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport’s runway to 50 meters disrupted the flights' operation.

Saudi Airlines’ flight SV-738 was not allowed to land and it kept hovering over the airport waiting for the green signal from the airport authorities.

Reporters: Afshan Rizwan, Saeed Ahmad Saeed and Abid Chaudhry