PESHAWAR: The second spell of rains and moderate snowfall in the current winter season began in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Fata on Monday bringing the mercury down.

The Met Office said Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, was reported to be the coldest place in the region with the maximum temperature of minus three degree Celsius followed by Chitral and Kalam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Snow covered Lowari Top linking Chitral with parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .

Light snowfall was reported in high-altitude areas of Chitral, Swat, Abbottabad, Mansehra and Lower Dir districts, while the plain areas of the province received rains, which began in the morning.

The rain also lashed the provincial capital turning the weather chilly. The region is expected to receive more rains during the next 24 hours.

The continuous rain multiplied problems of the motorists and pedestrians due to ongoing construction of Bus Rapid Transport project in the city.

Reports said that severe cold gripped Mansehra and its adjacent areas after upper parts of the district received rain and snowfall.

The rains, which was started in Mansehra, Torghar and Kohistan districts in morning continued intermittently the entire day.

The mountainous areas including Kaghan valley, Siren valley and Konsh valley received snowfall continuously which blocked links roads to all sort of traffic.

Fresh wave of rain in the plains and snowfall on the mountains started in Swat Valley dropping the mercury to minus.

According to the district Met Office, the downpour started early morning in the plains and that snowfall was also reported in Utror, Gabral, Ushu, Matiltan, Kalam, Mankiyal, Bahrain, Miandam, Malam Jabba, Lalku and other hilly regions.

The rainy spell will continue until Wednesday.

About two-inch snowfall was recorded until late evening in the hilly areas of Swat.

After rain and snowfall, the prolonged dry spell caused several diseases of chest and throat at last ended.

Heavy snowfall received in various parts of Shangla district here, which turned the weather cold and restricted the residents of hilly areas to stay indoors.

The snowfall was also reported in Yakhtangay, Ajmeer, Spen Ghar, Kapar Banda, Kandaw, Lelonai, Shangla Top and other areas, while it rained all through the day in Bisham city, Alpuri, Chakesar, Puran, Martung, Shahpur, Karora and other parts of the region.

Rains and snowfall was reported in Galiyat areas of Abbottabad, Chitral, and Upper and Lower Dir, too.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017