ISLAMABAD: The twin cities received the first rains of winter on Saturday.

The Met Office recorded 43mm of rainfall in the capital starting from pre-dawn and stretching late into the morning.

Rain-bearing clouds developed unexpectedly late Friday night mainly over the Potohar region, after the cold winds from the west and northwest collided with shallow but moist winds from the east.

The result was strong winds, thundershowers and a fall in temperature to 19°C by early Saturday morning. The maximum temperature in the capital during the day was 28°C.

“These are signs of changing weather, as hot and humid conditions seen in previous days were not present during the sunshine after the rain,” a Met Office official said.

The official added that summer and monsoon rainfall is distinct from winter rains. Summer rainfall is heavy, with larger droplets that fall in angular positions because of fast-moving winds.

“The winter rains are slow, the drops are smaller and straight because they are not accompanied by strong winds as well as heavy clouds,” the official explained.

The weather is expected to be dry in most of the country in the coming days, but rain-thunderstorms are expected in isolated locations in the Malakand, Hazara and Rawalpindi divisions as well as Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2018