PDMA puts districts on alert, warns of hail and post-rain fog while Lahoris hope for a break from smog.
LAHORE: Rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms are expected to reach Lahore on Thursday as a westerly weather system that entered the country on Tuesday evening gathers strength, offering the city its best chance in weeks of washing out smog, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.
The Met Office said the shallow westerly wave would strengthen on Nov 12 and could persist over upper parts of the country until the morning of Saturday, Nov 14.
Lahore, Kasur and Sheikhupura are listed for rain-wind and thunderstorm activity on Thursday and Friday, Nov 12 and 13, with occasional gaps between spells. Isolated hailstorms are possible during the period.
Conditions were still dry and mild in the city early in the week, with temperatures around 22 degrees Celsius in the morning, a forecast high of 29 and a low of 18, and winds of barely 2 km per hour, the stagnant air that has allowed pollution to build.
The Met Office warned that fog could form over the plains after the rain, cutting visibility for motorists in the mornings.
Beyond Lahore, rain and thunderstorms are forecast on Nov 12 and 13 in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, the Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Mianwali, Khushab and Sargodha.
Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Bhakkar and Multan may receive showers on Nov 12. Light rain was expected on Tuesday night in Islamabad, the Potohar region, Mianwali, Khushab, Bhakkar, Sargodha and Murree.
In the hills, snowfall could make roads slippery and heavy falls might shut some routes, the department said.
The Punjab Disaster Management Authority directed commissioners and deputy commissioners across the province to stay alert and make arrangements for weather-related emergencies. It said the rain was likely to reduce smog intensity but would also deepen the cold.
The authority urged residents to take shelter in safe buildings during windstorms, keep out of open areas during lightning and avoid unnecessary travel. Its counterpart in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which issued a parallel alert for Nov 10 to 14, said daytime temperatures there could fall by two to four degrees.
The timing is welcome. Lahore topped IQAir’s ranking of the world’s most polluted major cities on Monday and Tuesday, and the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative had forecast more than 600 upwind fire detections a day from Nov 10 to 12.
The India Meteorological Department has also forecast isolated rain over Indian Punjab from Nov 12 to 16, which could dampen crop-residue burning in the districts upwind of Lahore that provincial officials blame for part of the city’s smog.
The last westerly system eased Lahore’s smog in late October only briefly, and the city’s index was back above 400 within days.
Motorists on the M-2 and M-3 motorways and on GT Road should expect patches of reduced visibility after the rain, use low-beam and fog lights, keep a safe distance and check motorway police updates before setting off early in the morning. Travellers heading to Murree and the Galiyat should carry chains and warm clothing and confirm road status before departure.
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