LAHORE:Cold wave turned severe in the provincial capital as the mercury dropped to 3°C while the AQI was recorded 270 here on Wednesday.
Data collected from IQAir revealed the AQI was very unhealthy and PM2.5 concentration was 39 times the World Health Organisation annual PM2.5 guideline value.
Fog was also obscured on various highways in Punjab due to which traffic was disrupted.
According to the Central Region spokesperson, the Lahore-Sialkot motorway M-11 from Kala Shah Kaku to Sambrial, M-3 from Faizpur to Jaranwala, M-4 from Pindi Bhattian to Abdul Hakeem and from Gojra to Abdul Hakeem, M-5 from Multan to Zahir Pir, and from Multan to Sukkur were closed due to fog. Similarly, the motorways, M-5 from Multan to Dera Ismail Khan and from Rahim Yar Khan to Rohri, were closed due to fog-related low visibility.
Met officials said continental air was prevailing over most parts of the country. However, a westerly wave was likely to enter western and upper parts from today (Thursday).They predicted that mainly cold and dry weather was expected over most parts of the country, while very cold in hilly areas. Moderate to dense fog was likely to persist over Punjab, upper Sindh and plain areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Frost may occur at isolated places in Pothohar region, Upper KP and Kashmir during morning hours. Wednesday’s minimum temperature was recorded at Leh and Skardu where mercury dipped to -11°C, while in Lahore, it was 3°C.
