Pakistan's western and southern parts are expected to remain under a very cold spell in the next 24 hours with plunging temperature into minus degrees, the Met Office said on Thursday. Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan and Rawalpindi Divisions, Islamabad, FATA, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are likely to receive more rain-thunderstorm at different places over the period. Cold and dry gripped the most parts of Pakistan with an isolated rain-thunderstorm and snowfall over the hills in Malakand and Hazara Divisions and Kashmir in the last 24 hours.
Maximum rainfall in the past was recorded in Parachinar as 10 mm, Malamjaba 9 mm, Balakot 4 mm, Pattan 3 mm, Kalam and Rawalakot 1 mm, each. Malamjabba 12 received 12 inches of snowfall with Kalam 1. Temperature in parts of western and northern region of the country including Kalat, Kalam and Skardu fell to minus 8 degrees Celsius, each, Quetta minus 7, Dalbandin, Gupis, Malamjabba, Astore and Parachinar minus 5 over the past. Fog is likely to prevail over the plain areas of Punjab and Upper Sindh during morning hours. "A westerly wave is still affecting upper parts of the country and may persist during next 24 to 36 hours," the Met said.