Morning Rain Turns Lahore’s Weather Pleasant and Clears the Air, With More Rain Forecast Tonight
Thursday began differently in Lahore. Light to moderate rain, carried in on a strong cold wind, changed the feel of the city within an hour or two. The sticky heat gave way to a distinct chill that many residents read as the first knock of winter. Rainwater pooled on roads and WASA crews were out dealing with it, but for most people the morning brought relief — not least because the showers washed a good deal of the smog out of the air.
Where it rained, and how much
The rain covered most of the city: Defence, Ghazi Road, Ferozepur Road, Walton, Mall Road, Lakshmi Chowk, Gulshan Ravi, Jail Road, Gulberg, Garden Town, Kalma Chowk, Sanda, Shimla Pahari, Davis Road, Chauburji and the Civil Secretariat area all received showers. Pakistan Meteorological Department figures put Lahore’s rainfall over the past 24 hours at between 7mm and 24mm depending on the neighbourhood. Chowk Nakhuda and Shadipura recorded the city’s highest totals at 24mm each, followed by Upper Mall at 21mm, Jail Road at 19mm, and the airport and Lakshmi Chowk at 17mm each. Across Punjab, Noor Pur Thal topped the chart with 48mm, ahead of Sargodha at 32mm, Murree 19mm, Sheikhupura 16mm, Attock 11mm, and Okara and Hafizabad at 10mm each. The cleaner air showed up in the numbers too: one morning report put Lahore’s Air Quality Index at 69 after the rain, a sharp improvement on the earlier reading of 153.
Tonight and tomorrow
The Met Office says a westerly wave is affecting the upper parts of the country and will persist through the coming hours. Under its influence, intermittent rain with gusty winds and thunderstorms is expected on Thursday evening and night in Lahore, Murree, the Galiyat, Jhelum, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Faisalabad and Sahiwal. Most Punjab districts should turn mainly dry on Friday, though Murree and the Galiyat may stay partly cloudy. Lahore’s maximum temperature is forecast at 33 to 35 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday, so for now the chill belongs to the mornings and nights.
