LAHORE, Feb 7: Early morning light rain rid the plains of Punjab of the fog cover but intensified the persisting cold wave on Thursday, giving the second coldest day of the season.

“Almost the entire country shivered because of the rain and strong wind from the north which is also picking chill from the fresh coat of snow over hills in Balochistan and the Northern Areas,” Chief Meteorologist Shaukat Awan said.

“This is the second chilliest day of the season in the country which has never witnessed such a prolonged spell of shivering cold in its recorded history.”

He said weather would start gradually improving in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab by Feb 13. The days would be clear, morning misty or foggy and nights cold under the impact of the cold wind from the north for the next one week, he said.

He said a westerly system, which existed over western Iraq, would enter Pakistan on Feb 13 to generate more rains and snowfall for the next few days.

The local Met office said the westerly wave that generated rain in the plains of Punjab persisted over Kashmir and the Northern Areas. Cold and continental air was likely to persist over the country, maintaining severe cold conditions during the next 24 hours.

Mr Awan said unlike the winter weather patterns, the westerly system currently persisting over the country was covering a wide area up to Afghanistan, sucking in dense, heavier and coldest wind form the snow and glacier clothed Siberia. The wind was flowing towards the plains in the country and even India creating weather conditions similar to those in the mountainous regions.

It was expected the system would move over to India on Wednesday to provide a relief in Pakistan but it remained stationary over the Northern Areas even by Thursday evening due to its widespread influence. Only monsoon systems cover so much area and this is a new phenomenon.

He said in the coming weeks, day’s maximum temperatures would improve but the night’s minimum temperatures fall because of clear skies but cold wind from the north.

In Lahore, the early morning rain, which was 2mm at the airport and 1mm in the main city, made weather extremely cold, reducing the temperatures to 11.6 degrees Celsius as against 16.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

The city’s maximum temperature on Sunday last had dropped to nine degrees, setting a new record. Its lowest ever maximum temperature was 12 degrees Celsius which was recorded in Feb 1967.

The Met office said the strong cold wind had added to the chill and it looked that the weather was colder than on Sunday.

Attendance in educational institutions remained thin because of drizzle and shivering cold in the morning. Dropping children at schools on motorcycles was a challenge.

Gas heaters were in great demand in government offices and at homes as people struggled to stay warm throughout the day.

Business activity at the city’s markets remained low in the morning and in the late afternoon. Many traders went home early because of the lack of clientele and streets wore a deserted look in the evening.