ISLAMABAD, July 8: A strong windstorm that was followed by a heavy cloud burst hit the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Thursday, ending the long hot spell which had gripped the region for the last many days and providing relief to the citizens.

The threatening mass of black clouds engulfed the federal capital and its surroundings at 4:40pm and brought an early nightfall in the twin cities, forcing children and other people to remain indoors.

The rains caused a lot of distress to the citizens, once again exposing the inefficiency of the civic agencies in meeting such situations. The power breakdown, choked lines and overflowing drainage system added to the woes of the people.

The windstorm uprooted trees and billboards. Earlier in the day, the maximum temperature was recorded at 37 degrees Celsius with humidity level at 100 per cent which compelled people to stay indoors most of the day, escalating the demand for air-conditioners and placing heavy load on the power system, causing frequent power outages as the electricity utility failed to take measures for meeting the expected shortage.

However, in the evening at 8:45pm the temperature dropped to 25 degrees with chances of a further slide towards the early hours of Friday. A number of roads and streets were inundated, at some places in knee-deep rain water, causing traffic jams, while a few vehicles were also seen stuck in the middle of the mess with passengers in miserable conditions, waiting for water to recede.

When contacted, Meteorological department officials did not give the exact details of the rain and thunderstorm but confirmed that almost similar conditions were expected at scattered places of upper Punjab, upper NWFP and Kashmir.

Highest temperature of 43 degrees Centigrade was recorded in Sibbi. The temperature in other major cities were: Islamabad 37C, Lahore 38C, Karachi 33C, Peshawar 39C, Quetta 35C, Muzaffarabad 38C, Murree 23C, Multan 38C, Faisalabad 37C and Gilgit 37C.

The Met office said more rain with duststorm was expected at scattered places of upper Punjab and Kashmir during the next 24 hours. "There are chances of a sustained spell of rain if the prevailing system reverses. Otherwise, it will be over by the next 24 hours," the Met office said.

Bakhtawar Mian from Pindi adds: The windstorm uprooted many dangerous hoardings and signboards. The tehsil municipal administration failed to remove these signboards despite repeated orders from the district government, causing loss to public properties, residents from different areas informed Dawn. The TMA has failed to remove dangerous hoardings and signboards from buildings. Almost all the nullahs are choked due to garbage and waste trashed in them.