LAHORE: Dust storms and scattered rain broke the prolonged heat spell in Lahore and some other cities in Punjab on Saturday, providing relief to the weather stricken people after over a fortnight.

It was extremely hot in Lahore till midday on Saturday. The searing heat was energy-sapping and even the wind was markedly hot under the blazing sun. And then clouds gathered over the city and soon a windstorm started blowing away heat. Scattered light rain followed and cooled down the city, bringing down the maximum temperature from 44 degrees Celsius at around noon to 32 degrees Celsius at 5pm.

Another dust storm followed by rain lashed the city around 8pm.

The Met department said it remained hot and dry in most parts of the country. However, dust-thundershower/rain occurred at isolated places in Sargodha and Gilgit-Baltistan, while light dust-thundershower/rain occurred in Gujranwala, Lahore divisions and Kashmir.

As per the Met department, monsoon season begins in Pakistan from July 1. But pre-monsoon rains can also be experienced after June 15.

Turbat’s maximum temperature was 47 degrees Celsius. It was 46 degrees Celsius in Bhakkar, Sibbi, and 45 in Jaccobabad, Dadu, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalnagar.

The Met department said continental air is prevailing over most parts of the country. The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘VAYU’ over northeast and adjoining east central Arabian Sea, continued to move westwards with a speed of about 08 kmph in the last six hours and lay centered over northeast and adjoining east central Arabian Sea.

It expected dust-thundershower/rain with gusty winds at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Karachi divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Islamabad during Saturday night.

Dust-thundershower/rain with gusty winds is also expected at isolated places in Rawalpindi, Sahiwal, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Multan divisions, Islamabad and Kashmir on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2019