67mm rain hits City; more showers forecast

LAHORE : Heavy to moderate but scattered rain was witnessed in various city localities here on Sunday while Met office predicted similar weather conditions for the next 24 hours.

The rain started in the morning and continued till afternoon in spans. Following the rain, traffic went to a snail’s pace on the major roads while a number of motorcyclists and pedestrian took refuge under the trees, shades and underpasses.

As per the data released by Wasa, the highest rainfall of 67mm was recorded in Farrukhabad. In other localities, it was Lakshmi Chowk 67mm, Gulshan Ravi 66 mm, Chowk Nakhuda 58mm, Paniwala Talab 57mm, Airport 54mm, Upper Mall 52mm, Mughalpura 48mm, Iqbal Town 46mm, Qurtaba Chowk 40mm, Samanabad 21mm, Gulberg 21mm, Jail Road 17.5mm and Johar Town 15mm.

Following the rain, Wasa MD Ghafran Ahmed also came out in the field and visited low-lying localities and ponding points in the City. He also monitored the drainage operation from the Monsoon Control Room established in the Wasa head office. Ghafran Ahmad also visited Circular Road, Fleming Road, McLeod Road, Lakshmi Chowk, GPO Chowk and Supreme Court Chowk. Director Hamid Lal gave a detailed briefing to Ghafran Ahmed regarding the drainage operation.

Meanwhile, Met office warned that heavy rains may generate flash flooding in local nullahs/streams of Kohat, Karak, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Dir, Swat, Islamabad/ Rawalpindi, Attock, Talagang, Chakwal, Mianwali, Sialkot, Narowal, Jhelum, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Lahore, Hafizabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir today (Monday).

They further warned that heavy downpour may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Faisalabad while landslides may cause roads closure at the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir during the forecast period.

Met officials said monsoon currents from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal were penetrating upper/central parts of the country at lower tropospheric levels while a westerly wave was affecting upper/central parts of the country.

Rainfall was recorded at several cities across the country. Sunday’s maximum temperature was recorded at Nokkundi and Dalbandin where mercury reached 47°C, while in Lahore, it was 30°C and minimum was 23.4°C.