Cold, dry weather to persist in Lahore; fog disrupts traffic

News Desk 

Lahore: Cold and dry weather persisted in Lahore on Monday and is likely to continue on Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

Met officials said a westerly wave is expected to enter the western parts of the country from Monday night and intensify from December 30. The system is likely to affect most upper and central regions on December 31 and persist in upper areas until January 1, 2026.

They forecast cold and partly cloudy to cloudy weather across most parts of the country. Rain accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms, with snowfall over the hills, is expected in Balochistan, while similar conditions are likely at isolated places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and adjoining hilly areas during evening and night hours.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/pdma-warns-of-heavy-rain-snowfall-across-kp-from-dec-30/

Moderate to dense fog in patches may develop over plain areas of north and south Punjab and upper Sindh during morning and night hours, the PMD added.

Meanwhile, dense fog severely disrupted traffic on motorways in the Central Region. According to a Central Region spokesperson, the M-2 motorway from Lahore to Kot Momin and the M-3 from Faizpur to Darkhana were closed due to poor visibility. Similarly, the M-4 from Pindi Bhattian to Khanewal and the Lahore–Sialkot Motorway (M-11) were also shut for traffic.

Heavy fog also engulfed several national highways in Lahore, Pattoki, Okara and Sahiwal, while visibility was severely reduced in Chichawatni, Iqbal Nagar, Mian Channu, Khanewal, Multan and Bahawalpur. Visibility on several highway sections dropped to between zero and 100 metres.

Lahore’s air quality remains hazardous with AQI at 364

Lahore continued to suffer from hazardous air quality on Monday, with the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 364, according to IQAir data.

PM2.5 concentrations were measured at 33.7 times higher than the World Health Organization’s annual air quality guideline value.

The most polluted areas of the city included Barki Road (658), Bedian Road (657), DHA Phase VI (571), B Block Phase V, DHA (499), Cantonment (438), Askari X (428), Liberty (266), Choung (245), Model Town (237) and Wahdat Colony (222).

Health experts advise citizens, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions, to limit outdoor activities and use protective masks when necessary.