LAHORE, Dec 26: Light rain in Lahore on Tuesday dropped temperature, intensifying the ongoing winter. The Met Office reported light rain in many other cities in the province, besides snowfall in hilly Northern Areas and parts of the NWFP because of a westerly system.

The light rain which started last night continued with short intervals till the morning. It was accompanied by strong cold wind. It remained cloudy to partly cloudy during most of the day, allowing sun to warm up the city a little in brief spans.

The weather nevertheless turned chilly at sunset when sky became overcast again, forcing people to remain indoors.

The usage of gas heaters increased, while winter specialties like fish and dry fruits were in great demand.

The maximum temperature was 18 degrees C and the minimum 6.8 degrees C with 73 per cent humidity in the morning and 87 per cent in the evening. The Met Office forecast a further drop in the minimum temperature during the night.

Sialkot received 5mm of rain, Jhelum 3mm, Mandi Bahauddin 2mm and Lahore 1mm. Sargodha, Okara, Multan, Bahawalpur, Jhang, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rahim Yar Khan received traces.