Motorway closed, flights cancelled as thick fog dwells in Punjab

• Flights and motorway blocked Saturday morning due to dense fog across Punjab
• Met office predicts first rain of new year, cloudy weather for Punjab, KP and Kashmir
• Strong westerly wave likely to enter Pakistan tomorrow

LAHORE: Thick fog engulfed most cities in Punjab, including Lahore Saturday morning, leaving visibility at a low.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) recorded a temperature of 2°C in Lahore Saturday morning.

The motorway was closed and flights cancelled as Punjab was hit by smog.

PMD said the first rain of the new year is expected tonight (Saturday) in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir, while temperatures will drop further.

Read more: 19 flights canceled, 16 delayed due to heavy fog in Lahore

The weather will stay cloudy and rainy for the next three days in Lahore, the Met office said, predicting that the maximum temperature for today will be 15°C.

Lahorites shiver as mercury drops to 1.8°C

On Friday, mercury dropped to 1.8°C in Lahore, while Met officials predicted similar weather conditions for the next 24 hours. 

They said continental air is prevailing over most parts and a strong westerly wave is likely to enter Pakistan tomorrow (Sunday).

Cold and dry weather is predicted for most parts of the country with "very cold" weather in upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, north Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. 

Dense fog is likely to prevail in plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh and frost is likely to occur in some plain areas of Punjab during the morning hours, the Met office said.