ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: Intermittent rain continued in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi as well as the adjoining areas, whereas the Northern Areas and Galyat received snow.

In Islamabad minimum temperature was recorded at 9°C while the maximum temperature was 15°C. The lowest minimum temperature was recorded in Gilgit which was -3°C. A metrological department official, Mr Zaheer, said rain would continue till midday on Tuesday.

The Met office has also predicted thunderstorm and rain at scattered places of the Punjab, Islamabad, the NWFP, northern Balochistan and upper Sindh during the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, rain in Rawalpindi city made a slushy mess on the sidewalks, leaving puddles in places and making it difficult for pedestrians to get across some streets.

Motorway Travel Advisory: An official of National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) advised drivers travelling on M-II and M-III to maintain a safe distance from vehicles despite the defined speed limit due to the ongoing winter rain spell.

“During the rain mostly drivers get tricked as they lose about 30-40 per cent of road grip due to the rain,” said a line official of the NHMP. In case, he said, any driver was looking for help he could dial NHMP helpline no 130.

SKARDU: Baltistan received the season’s first snowfall, bringing daily life to a standstill, reports our correspondent from Skardu.

Snow fall that started on Sunday night continued till the filing of this report. So far the city has received seven inches of snow. However, because of the snowfall, the temperature remained normal during the day time compared to the previous days.

According to local Met office mercury fell to minus 6 degree centigrade on Monday, while it was minus 10 degree Celsius a day before.

Heavy snowfall disturbed daily life in Skardu city.

Most shops and markets remained closed the whole day, while a few cars were seen plying on the roads.

Various people expressed their satisfaction over the season’s first snowfall and they hoped that it would have a positive impact on the agricultural lands during summer season.

They also expressed the hope that there would be no shortage of irrigation water during summer season as most villages and areas in Gilgit-Baltistan depended on snow water during summer. In case of less snowfall during winter, those areas face severe scarcity of irrigation water during the summer season.

MURREE: Heavy rainfall has been continuing in Murree and suburban areas with short spans since Saturday evening. During the day time there was hail storm in Murree for some time which turned the weather severely cold. Snow has fallen on the mountains of Galyat.

According to Met office sources heavy rainfall and snow has been forecast on the mountains of Murree and adjoining areas in the next 24 hours.

AGENCIES ADD: The residents of the capital heaved a sigh of relief when showers poured down on Sunday night. However rain brought miseries for the animal buyers and sellers.

Having been hit by the worst air pollution for the last couple of months with the level rising three to four times higher than the prescribed standards, the sufferings of the residents of Islamabad were reduced considerably.

On the other hand, the animal markets became muddy and created problems both for the buyers and sellersThe ambient air monitoring data gathered by air monitoring system of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), during the last week showed that pollution level in the capital was three to four times higher than the WHO-prescribed standards.