RAWALPINDI: Heavy rain lashed most parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, inundating streets and roads in the garrison city and lowering the temperature on Thursday.

The Met Office predicted more rains in the next 24 hours in the twin cities.

It said the heavy spell of rain lasting for more than two hours occurred in most parts of the garrison city, including Kutchery Chowk, Chaklala Scheme-II, Bahria Town, Jhelum Road, Lalazar and Soan River. Over 50 millimetres of rain was recorded during the spell. There was no rain on Murree Road from Marrir Chowk to Faizabad.

In Islamabad, E-8, Quaid-i-Azam University, Bannigala, Zero Point, I-8 and I-19 received rain while no rain was recorded on Saidpur Road, Golra, Bokra and surrounding areas.

The rain inundated many roads in Rawalpindi. Rainwater accumulated in and around Fauji Foundation University, Fatima Jinnah Women University and a number of colleges. Students had to wait for hours till the rainwater was drained out.

When asked if it was a cloudburst, a Met official said it was a heavy monsoon rainfall, not a cloudburst. He said it was apparently the last spell of the monsoon rains.

“Moist currents from Bay of Bengal are penetrating into upper and central parts of the country. A westerly wave is also affecting the upper parts,” he said.

He said rain-windstorm/thundershower is expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northeast/central Punjab, Potohar region, Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Isolated heavy fall/hailstorm is likely in upper KP, northeast Punjab, Potohar region, Islamabad and Kashmir. Hot and humid weather is expected in other parts of the country,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2024