MURREE: Thousands of tourists thronged Murree on Saturday as heavy snow covered the hill station with authorities issuing warning urging would-be tourists to avoid unnecessary travel.
The warning came as many cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir received snowfall and rain since last night and the Met Office was predicting there would be more snowfall in these areas during the next 24 hours.
The mercury has dropped well below the zero and it is expected to touch minus seven degree centigrade in Murree where so far two and a half inches of snow has fallen.
When the public was getting ready to bid an early adieu to winter in Punjab and other parties of the country, the dense fog on Saturday morning brought back the chill to weather, darkening plain cities including Lahore and slowing down movement.
Simultaneously, heavy snowfall and rain in a number of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cities and parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir played a role in challenging the early winter departure.
The people who came out of their homes heading to offices or schools to drop their children found themselves standing amid thick white foggy clouds on streets and roads.
Commuters who normally wore four or five layers of winter clothes and have reduced the layers to three as the mercury dropped in recent days went back inside to bolster their defences against the foggy cold outside.
Cold and dry weather prevailed in most parts of the country, while very cold was experienced in hilly areas after snowfall and rain.
The lowest recorded recorded minimum temperature (°C) was: Leh -09, Kalat -08, Gupis -07, Kalam -06, Skardu, -05, Quetta, Bagrote -04, Malamjabba, Astore and Parachinar -03.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Ath Maqam, Neelum Valley, Jagran Valley, Lowat Bala, Urang Keel, Shontar, Greece, Sargan Valleys and other rural areas received heavy snowfall and intermittent rain since last night. Snowfall on mountains of Muzaffarabad continued till Saturday morning.
SDO Roads Altaf Awan said that traffic on all roads was operational smoothly while heavy machinery was available to clear the roads. He said that traffic was restored which was closed due to landsliding from Keel Sri to Neelum Valley. He further said that people can travel in 4×4 vehicles.
He advised people to adopt precautionary measures to avoid any incident. Heavy snowfall in the area dropped the temperature to zero.
Meanwhile, heavy snowfall in Thandiani badly affected the daily life in Abbottabad, Galliyat and Abbottabad. Sources said that the area received at round one and half feet snowfall, blocking Thandiani Road. Local residents facing lot of difficulties due to suspension of electricity in the area.
Acting promptly in wee hours of Saturday, Motorway police announced closure of Motorway M-2 from Lahore to Hiran Minar, M-3 from Faizpur to Nankana Sahib and M-11 from Lahore to Sialkot due to the thick fog.
