The snowfall plunged Kalam into a nine-inch deep white cover as winter rainfall continued across the upcountry over the last 24 hours, the Met Office said on Thursday. Garidupatta received maximum 13mm of rain followed by Muzaffarabad, Kamra, and Dir 8mm, each, Rawalakot 5mm, Risaslpur and Abbotabad 4mm, each and Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Murree 3mm, each. Four inches snow fell in Malamjabba, three in Murree and one in Dir over the period.

The Met forecast a cold and dry weather for the most parts of the country in the next 24 hours. It said that fog will continue to prevail over the plain areas of Punjab and Sindh during the night and morning hours. "A westerly wave is affecting upper parts of the country and likely to persist till Saturday, it said.

Rain-thunderstorm with snowfall over the hills is expected at scattered places in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, Zhob Divisions and parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. In the next 48 hours: Rain-thunderstorm with snowfall over the hills is expected at scattered places in Islamabad, Upper Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. Cold and dry weather is expected elsewhere in the country. Foggy conditions are likely to continue over the plain areas of Punjab and Sindh during the night and morning hours.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017