ISLAMABAD: Forecasting a cold wave accompanied by rain and heavy snowfall in the first week of February, the Met Office on Saturday warned farmers to keep their cattle and other animals safe against the upcoming severe weather conditions.

“A fresh wave of westerly system is likely to approach South Asia from Eastern Europe and Northern Caspian Sea in the first week of next month,” said an official.

He said the rain would be accompanied by heavy snowfall and chilly winds.

The Met Office advised the farmers to keep their animals warm and safe from the very cold winds.

Similar advice was also issued to vegetable farmers against possible intense fog conditions in the plains of Punjab and KP.

It said the recent rains equalised the drought-like situation of November and December.

The latest Met Office data showed that the rains in January this year were more than the total normal rainfall traditionally recorded from November 1 to January 28.

During this period, the average rainfall across the country was around 35mm whereas it was almost 20pc higher this year.

This was mainly because of the over 40mm rainfall from January 1 to 28 this year compared to less than two mm in November and December 2016.

The directorate of agriculture information, Rawalpindi, also said the current rains had supported the Rabi crops in Punjab, especially in the Barani areas.

The main Rabi crop is wheat that has been sowed on around 298,000 acres in the Rawalpindi district while gram has been cultivated on 1,710 acres and Masoor pulse on 9,245 acres.

The directorate in a statement also said farmers should take extra care about sheltering animals and poultry in the wake of the severe cold.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2017