LAHORE, June 29: A strong windstorm and rain lashed city on Sunday morning, uprooting trees and billboards, and inundating several streets.

The maximum gust of the windstorm was 122km per hour at the Lahore airport at 9.20am. It was followed by downpour evenly spread in the city.

The meteorological office recorded 28mm rain at the airport and 27mm at its Jail Road observatory, saying it was of low intensity.

Many low-lying areas were flooded with rainwater, which could not be cleared till the evening. The rain, however, broke the spell of humid conditions.

A number of youngsters were seen driving motorbikes in the rain and people visited parks and other recreational places to enjoy the holiday.

The day’s maximum temperature was 34.2 degrees C and the minimum 28.8 degrees C with 70 per cent humidity in the morning and 52 per cent in the evening.

Power breakdowns and short water supply in many localities caused inconvenience to the people.

According to the Met office, the rain and the storm were caused by the directional convergence of moisture from the Arabian Sea. “It was a pre-monsoon rain, which played havoc with some parts of the Northern Punjab.”

It reported that during the past 24 hours Mandi Bahauddin received 40mm of rain, Balakot 21mm, Muzaffarabad 18mm, Peshawar 16mm, Malam Jabba 11mm, Sargodha 6mm and Parachinar 5mm. — Staff Reporter