ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: Chilly winds gripped the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Saturday after the nearby Margalla Hills received the third snowfall of this winter.

Officials of the Meteorological department said Margalla Hills received one foot of snow, bringing down the temperature to a minimum of six degrees centigrade in Islamabad. The maximum temperature in the federal capital remained 13C.

The snow-covered peaks of the Margalla Hills presented a picturesque scene. For the first time in the last six years the Margalla Hills have received snowfall this season.

The snowfall is tempting the residents to come out of their homes and enjoy this rare beauty despite the bone-chilling winds. That's why people thronged Pir Sohawa from where the snow started. As the view of the snow was enchanting, the people could not resist from going further ahead and enjoyed the snow till the road ended inside the NWFP's jurisdiction.

Some of the visitors were enjoying the snow-covered mountains from the Pir Sohawa point. Long queues of vehicles could be seen ascending and descending the slippery Pir Sohawa road till late in the evening as snowfall had started at 2pm.

One of the reasons behind the large number of visitors was the official holiday in connection with Muharram. The number of visitors is likely to be doubled on Sunday.

"Everyone is having a blast of time. These hills are even better than the ones for which we go to Switzerland, then why shouldn't they be enjoyed here in my hometown", said Asif Ijaz, a visitor who had brought out his family with him.

Meanwhile, the Met office has forecast more rains in Islamabad, Kashmir and upper parts of the NWFP and Punjab during the next 24 hours. On Saturday, Islamabad received 26mm of rain, Rawalpindi 24mm, Balakot 28mm, Muzaffarabad 24mm, Abbottabad 19mm, Kotli 16mm, Attock 14mm, Gujranwala 13mm, Sargodha 12mm, Lahore 9mm, Jhelum 8mm, Saidu Sharif 7mm, Chakwal 5mm and Sialkot and Peshawar 2mm each.

The ongoing snowfall has touched the record figure of 16.5 feet in Murree. According to the Met office, in 1976, Murree had received 14 feet snow. The severe snowfall has brought down the temperature to a minimum of -6 degrees and a maximum of 2C in Murree.

Northern Areas and parts of the NWFP including Kalam, Malam Jabba, Kaghan and Naran received three-feet snow each on Saturday. The Met office has forecast further snowfall in Kashmir, Northern Areas, the Galliyat and Murree during the next 36 hours.

The ongoing cold spell had gripped the whole country and, according to the Met office, it would be in its full swing till Sunday. On Monday, the chilly spell would be subsided while it would take another day to see a decrease in the severity of the cold winds in the plain areas of the country.