Tourists banned, roads cut off as heavy snowfall buffets Pakistan cities

Life paralyzed as several feet of snow buries many areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan: Extreme cold in Balochistan shatters all previous records: Met Office forecasts more snow: Man dies after caught up in snowstorm

Published: 10:20 AM, 24 Jan, 2026
Topics, Environment, Featured News
Tourists banned, roads cut off as heavy snowfall buffets Pakistan cities

Several feet of snow dumped in the northern parts of the country has paralyzed routine life, cutting off road links and prompting the authorities to urge tourists not to head towards mountainous areas, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

Heavy snowfall has been reported from Waziristan, Mansehra, Swat, Malam Jabba, Chitral and other parts of KP, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

Burzal Top received six feet of snow, Murree, Nathiagali and Bishi received three each of snow, four inches of snow reported in Thandiani and Parachinar received 14 inches of snow.

A man travelling from Rawalpindi to Bagh area of Azad Kashmir was up in the snowstorm and lost his life. He was identified as Raja Ikhlaq.

Lowari Tunnel Road in Chitral has received up to three feet of snow so far, while eight-feet of snow has been recorded over the mountains in Upper Dir.

The entry of tourists has been banned in Kaghan Valley, while heavy snowfall recorded in Tirah Valley in Khyber has left dozens of vehicles stranded.

Similarly, road connections in several areas of Kurram and Orakzai have been severed.

Four tourists, who had got stuck in Shangla Top, have been rescued.

The situation is also worse in AJK where several highways have been declared off-limits for traffic.

Hundreds of tourists have got stuck in Murree, Ayubia and Nathia Gali following heavy snowfall, which has also led to the suspension of power supply to these cities and their suburbs, while Expressway and Old Murree Road have also been closed for traffic.

Nathia Gali has received over three feet of snow, while four feet of snow has been recorded at Thandiani.

Minimum temperature in Nathia Gali nosedived to -9 degrees Celsius, while it was recorded at -4 in Abbottabad.

The minimum temperature in Islamabad was recorded at 3 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, while it was expected to go up to 11 degrees Celsius in the day.

Winds will blow in the federal capital at the speed of 13 kilometers per hour, while the level of moisture was recorded at 70 per cent.

Cold wave record broken in Balochistan

Meanwhile, 30-year-old record of cold wave has broken in Balochistan where routine life has been paralyzed as water has frozen in pipelines and people have been mostly confined to their homes.

Temperature in Ziarat has dropped to -13 degrees Celsius, while it has been recorded at -11 in Kalat, -10 in Quetta and -7 in Chaman.

Bitterly cold weather has also been reported from Mehterzai, Tauba Kakrri and Tauba Achakzai.

Temperatures plummet in country’s plains

Temperatures have also nosedived in the country’s plains, including Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sahiwal and Sialkot, after heavy rains.

Widespread rains, reported from the plains of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and KP, have led to a marked drop in mercury.

In Lahore, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, while breeze was blowing at a speed of six kilometers per hour.

The level of humidity in the air stood at 83 per cent.

Mercury drops in Karachi

Mercury has also dropped in Karachi following rain.

The minimum temperature in the port city was recorded at 8 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, while it was expected to fluctuate between 20 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius on the maximum side.

The level of humidity in the air stood at 57 per cent, while winds were blowing at a speed of 11 kilometers per hour from the north-east.

More snowfall predicted for country’s north

On the other hand, the Met Office forecast that snowfall would continue to lash the country’s northern and upper areas for the next two days.

The Met Office forecast heavy snowfall for the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and said there were fears of avalanches in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

It also predicted that cold wave would grip the country from today.

Dense fog has been forecast for the plains of Punjab and Sindh.

Reporters: Hashir Warraich, Ibrahim Qureshi, Aqsa Sheikh, Isa Tarin, Syed Noman Shah and Jahanzeb Afridi 

 

Categories : Topics, Environment, Featured News Tags :

News Desk