Margalla Hills wear magical white look after unusual snowfall

Islamabad/Rawalpindi

The Margalla Hills wore a magical white look on Thursday after receiving an unusual snowfall after a gap of four years. Earlier, the hills received two inches of snow in January 2012.

The Margalla Hills, particularly Pir Sohawa, a major tourist spot, received snowfall for almost two hours, which attracted a large number of people from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to enjoy the chilly weather. 

The snowfall, which prompted a cold wave to sweep the capital and adjoining Rawalpindi, coincided with a rain spell.

The rain began to fall on Wednesday evening and continued intermittently until the next morning bringing the mercury down to the minus 1 Celsius. The lower temperatures brought about snowfall on the Margallas.

The people captured the rare hill snow blanket with cellphone cameras from rooftops, office windows, open spaces and waysides. And some even drove to the Margallas during lunch break to munch food in the chilly weather.

“It’s an unusual day and spending it in office is really unkind, so I’m going to Pir Sohawa picnic spot with friends to enjoy the day in a befitting way,” a private firm employee, Muhammad Nauman, said before driving up the hills near Marghazar.

Jamal Khan was equally jubilant. Taking a picture of snow-covered Margalla Hills in F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park, the youngster said he along with family members visited the nearby Murree hill station whenever it received snowfall but seeing snow on the local hills was a rare yet memorable experience.

He said he had planned to go to Pir Sohawa with friends in the evening.

A cricket enthusiast, Asfandyar Khan, said the city’s team, Islamabad United, won the Pakistan Premier League match on Wednesday and it snowed on the local hills a day after and therefore, how this week could get any better for Islooites. 

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Rawalpindi received 55mm rain and Islamabad received 65mm rain while hilly areas including Murree, Nathiagali, Muzaffarabad, Abbottabad and Ayubia received heavy snowfall. Though the rain and snowfall turned the weather pleasant, complaints of low gas pressure emerged from several localities of the city.

There were also reports of rainfall causing puddles on many roads leading to traffic jams.

The rain and heavy snowfall in hilly areas have turned the weather chilly. Murree Road and Murree Expressway have been closed for traffic by the chief traffic officer (CTO) (Rawalpindi) due to slipping and traffic jams. 

On the other hand, heavy rain, followed by windstorm, created problems for the residents of Rawalpindi as power supply suffered badly in the majority of localities due to strong winds. The residents of Adiala Road, Dhoke Juma, Dhoke Munshi, Defence Road, Gulistan Colony, Rawat, Nadeem Colony, Jhanda Chichi, Morgah and several other localities faced long hours of power outages during rain. The huge billboards fell at Jhelum Road, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Gulzar-e-Quaid and Benazir Bhutto Road during the windstorm.

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Director Dr. Muhammad Hanif, the current rain spell would continue till Friday. He said that the rain spell would end on Friday night. But the temperature would remain low due to cold waves coming from hilly areas like Murree and Nathiagali because of heavy snowfall. “The residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad would face cold weather during next 36 to 48 hours,” he warned. 

Traffic came to a halt for several hours in many areas as a number of vehicles broke down. At Jhelum Road, Mall Road, Adiala Road, Jamia Masjid Road near Qadeemi Imambargah, Airport Road, City Saddar Road near Gawalmandi and Benazir Bhutto Road several public transport vehicles developed faults in the middle of the road causing traffic jams. The rain also caused problems for people on two wheelers and those who were waiting for public transport at the bus stands in the garrison city as well as in Islamabad and adjoining areas.