LAHORE, Dec 8: It is gradually getting cold in the plains of the country, and misty or foggy days are ahead.

Winter has already set in over the hills where a westerly wave is generating light rain and snowfall over the past 24 hours or so. The minimum temperature in Parachinar on Sunday was -4 degrees C.

The morning in Lahore was misty. The maximum temperature was 22.3 degrees C and the minimum last night 7.7 degrees C with 85 per cent humidity in the morning and 52 per cent in the evening.

According to the Met office, days are clear in the plains. But temperatures have started to fall because of the westerly wave primarily affecting the northern sides of the country.

Another reason for the lowering temperatures is the tilting of the sun towards southern hemisphere (from Pakistan).

The Met office said temperature would continue to slowly drop in the days ahead. Fog will develop over some cities because of the low temperature and humidity. But in major cities the morning and evenings will be misty.

Fog will start blanketing major areas in the plains from end-December to mid-January again because of short duration of days, tilted radiation from the sun over southern hemisphere, humidity and dry weather. There will be less foggy days if it rains during this peak portion of winter.

Meanwhile, the Met office forecast cold to very cold and partly cloudy weather with isolated thunder-rain, light snowfall over the hills over Kurrum Agency, Malakand, Hazara, Sargodha, Rawalpindi divisions, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir in the next 24 hours.

Cold to very cold and mainly dry weather with isolated mist and foggy conditions at some places in the morning hours would prevail over the rest of the country.