Director of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Muhammad Irfan Virk, on Monday said that prolonged dry and chilly conditions, along with dense fog in some areas, will prevail until February, without any predictions of rain or snowfall.
Talking to a private news channel, the PMD Director said that cold weather is expected to grip Pakistan until February, with no rain or snowfall in sight and that northern areas will not receive any more snowfall.
He added that Punjab and other regions will continue to experience foggy conditions and low temperatures until February.
Responding to a query, he said the current spell of snowfall has now ended, but the cold will persist, and temperatures will remain low.
He said cold and dry weather is expected to continue across most parts of the country, with severe cold conditions forecast for hilly areas during the early morning and nighttime hours.
Responding to a query, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) director said that dense to moderate fog is likely to reduce visibility in several plain areas, particularly in Punjab, Upper Sindh, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and may potentially disrupt travel during early morning and late-night hours.
Going region by region, he said that Islamabad and its surrounding areas will experience cold and dry weather, with fog likely to form during the night and early morning hours.
Meanwhile, Irfan Virk, Director of the PMD, said that most districts of Balochistan are likely to remain cold and dry, with severe cold expected in northern areas during the morning and night.
He added that Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan will experience cloudy weather, with rain and snowfall expected in the hilly regions, intensifying the winter chill there.
Fog disrupts flights at Bacha Khan airport
Flight operations at Bacha Khan International Airport have been affected due to dense fog in Peshawar.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Monday, poor weather conditions and low visibility are causing significant difficulties for flight movements.
The PAA stated that due to reduced visibility, a Qatar Airways flight was diverted to Islamabad. Similarly, SalamAir’s flight arriving from Muscat was unable to land and diverted to Sialkot because of adverse weather conditions. Flyadeal’s flight from Riyadh was also diverted to Karachi due to the same reason.
In addition, SalamAir and Air Arabia flights are facing delays because of the fog. The Pakistan Airports Authority reported that visibility has dropped to between 300 and 360 meters, which continues to disrupt flight operations at Bacha Khan International Airport.
Lahore’s average AQI declines to 156
The city’s average AQI declined to 156 as the Meteorological Department forecast cold and dry weather over the next 24 hours. MET officials said air quality remained unhealthy, with PM2.5 levels measuring 12.6 times higher than the World Health Organization’s annual guideline value.
Rescue 1122 on high alert amid light snowfall in Murree
The Punjab Emergency Service Rescue 1122 was on high alert in Murree on Monday amid ongoing light snowfall and forecasts of more, finalizing contingency arrangements across the district to ensure a swift response to any emergency. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast intermittent light snowfall and cold conditions in Murree and adjoining areas over the next 24 hours. The emergency plan was enforced on the directives of District Emergency Officer (DEO) Engineer Kamran Rashid, under which all rescue stations in Murree, along with ambulances, motorcycles, fire and recovery vehicles, were placed on field alert, a Rescue 1122 spokesman said. Special rescue squads were positioned at key and tourist locations in anticipation of an influx of visitors to provide timely assistance in case of snowfall, slippery conditions or possible traffic disruptions, the spokesman added. Rescue personnel, he said, “remain on full alert under the direct supervision of the district emergency officer, while additional staff has also been deployed.