Lahore Shivers at 3°C, AQI Remains Very Unhealthy

News Desk 

Lahore: The Met Office has forecast cold and dry weather across most parts of the country, with very cold conditions expected in hilly areas during the next 24 hours.

MET officials said continental air was prevailing over most regions, while a westerly wave is likely to enter the western and upper parts of the country from Thursday evening or night. They said moderate to dense fog may continue over Punjab, upper Sindh and the plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reducing visibility during morning and night hours.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/temperature-in-peshawar-drops-to-1c-amid-intense-cold-wave/

Frost is likely at isolated places in the Pothohar region, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir during early morning hours. On Wednesday, the lowest temperatures were recorded in Leh and Skardu, where the mercury dropped to minus 11°C. Lahore recorded a minimum temperature of 3°C.

Meanwhile, the cold wave intensified in the provincial capital as air quality deteriorated further. Data compiled by IQAir showed Lahore’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 270, placing it in the “very unhealthy” category. PM2.5 levels were measured at 39 times higher than the World Health Organization’s annual guideline value.

Among the most polluted localities were B Block, Phase 5, DHA (686), Barki (582), Cantonment (541), Askari X (401), Allama Iqbal Town (346), Wahdat Road (292), A Block, Model Town (279), Civil Secretariat (278), Bedian Road (247) and Liberty (204).

Dense fog also enveloped several highways across Punjab, causing traffic disruptions and prompting authorities to advise motorists to exercise caution while travelling.