PESHAWAR: A much-awaited and intermittent rain on Sunday morning sharply dropped the temperature in the provincial capital and other parts of the province.

Residents of the provincial capital found themselves under the grip of a cold wave following light rain.

Also, the met department predicted more rains in the provincial capital, Swabi, Mardan, Karak, Kohat, Dir, Swat, Malakand, Abbottabat and other parts of the province.

Upper parts of Shangla district received fresh snowfall on Sunday, while plain areas were lashed by intermittent rain, causing a sharp drop in temperature and intensifying cold weather across the region.

According to local sources, snowfall was reported in Shangla Top, Yakhtangay, Spenghar, Gamtal, Kandaw and Kapar Banda, where hilltops were blanketed in white.

High-altitude areas receive snowfall

The snowfall disrupted routine life in high-altitude areas, while residents were seen staying indoors due to the harsh weather conditions.

In contrast, lower and plain areas of the district experienced continuous rainfall throughout the day.

The rain further reduced visibility on roads and made travel difficult, particularly in hilly terrain.

The first rain of the current winter was reported in Bajaur on Sunday, ending the prolonged dry spell in the region.

Local residents said that a morning shower, lasting less than half an hour, was reported across the district.

People of different localities, while taking to Dawn, welcomed the rain but said that Sunday’s rainfall was very light and brief.

The rain also turned the weather further colder in the region, prompting residents to wear warm clothes and eat hot meals.

The prolonged dry spell, which had led to a rise in respiratory tract infections, came to an end on Sunday as rain lashed the plains and snowfall occurred in the high-altitude areas of Hazara division.

The rain and snowfall, which began in scattered parts of the division in the early hours of Sunday, continued intermittently throughout the day, lowering temperatures.

Rain was reported in Mansehra, Torghar, Lower Kohistan, Upper Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts.

High-altitude areas, including Kaghan Valley and Babusar Top in Mansehra, as well as Kandia and Spat valleys in Kohistan, received heavy snowfall.

Traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan via the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road had already been suspended last month after heavy snowfall in Kaghan Valley.

Balakot assistant commissioner Hasrat Khan told reporters that traffic between the two federating units would remain suspended until summer next year, most likely in the first week of May.

A large number of patients suffering from respiratory tract infections have been moved to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital since the start of winter.

“If the current spell of rain continues to persist, most of the ailments caused by the dry spell and severe cold might decrease significantly,” a doctor said.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2025