LAHORE: Fog/smog has once again started to develop over the plains of Punjab and the Met department on Tuesday forecast that it is likely to prevail with variable intensity here and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during December and January due to below normal rains and snowfall.

Smog in the morning and evening pestered people, especially motorcyclists in Lahore and its adjacent towns on Tuesday, causing irritation in their eyes and nose. It was troublesome for people already allergic to pollution or having respiratory problems.

Yet the level of pollution was less than the one experienced in Lahore and some other cities when smog developed there due to the burning of crop residues by Indian Punjab farmers near border area last month.

The Met department says the conditions will persist. According to its latest weather warning for winter, the department said the influence of severe El-Nino of 2015-16, although settled to normal in early summer, has made 2016 the warmest year. Currently border-line La Nina conditions prevail in the Pacific which is the cooling phase of ocean.

Global climatic conditions and different forecasting models suggest that the effectiveness of the western disturbances will be weaker in December-January for the South Asian region, including Pakistan.

Therefore, a few (rain and snow producing) westerly waves will reach central parts of Pakistan, resulting in below normal rainfall and snowfall during December.

The situation is likely to improve relatively in January 2017. And near normal rainfall and snowfall are expected during the month.

Day temperature is likely to remain slightly higher than normal during the period.

Due to less than normal expected rain, surface and ground water resources may experience depletion. Water management authorities and users may observe extreme care, the weather bulletin says.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2016