RAWALPINDI: Heavy rain accompanied by a hailstorm lashed the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Friday with 15 inches of snowfall recorded in Murree.

The wet spell is expected to continue for the next 24 hours in the region. The rain in the twin cities started on Thursday night and continued till Friday afternoon with occasional gaps.

Heavy snowfall in Murree added chill to the air and the temperature dropped to 4 degrees Celsius while the Met Office said the temperature will further drop in the coming days. Because of the heavy snowfall, Murree Expressway has been closed.

After a prolonged dry spell, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday received widespread rain and snowfall, blanketing its upper reaches with thick layers of snow and triggering landslides at some locations.

Rain and hailstorm hit twin cities; wet spell expected to continue

In the twin cities, the hailstorm and rainstarted at around 11:45am and continued till noon. Because of the inclement weather, cart pushers, vendors and labourers remained the worst affected as there were fewer customers.

“I came early in the morning and due to the raincould not find work,” said a daily-wage labourer, Mohammad Khan, at Raja Bazaar. He said finding work on a rainy day is always difficult.

Traders and shopkeepers also shared stories of low customer turnout during the rain.

A Met official said that during clouds, temperature rose but once the weather cleared the westerly winds will add chill to the air.

He said that the temperature will further drop in coming days as more rains and snowfall over the hills in Murree and surrounding areas were expected from Sunday to Tuesday.

The Met Office recorded 42 millimetres of rain at Zero Point, 26mm at Islamabad International Airport, 18mm at Saidpur, 15mm at Bokra and 12mm at Golra in Islamabad; 38mm at Chaklala, 16mm each at Shamsabad and Gawalmandi, 15mm at Kutchery, 12mm at Pirwidhai and 4mm at New Kattarian in Rawalpindi.

It said a strong westerly wave was affecting most upper parts of the country and likely to persist till the next 24 hours. Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. \

However, cold weather is likely in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and northern Balochistan.

On the other hand, the Met Office warned that heavy rain/snowfall may cause road closure/slippery conditions in Naran, Kaghan, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Chitral, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Shangla, Astore, Hunza, Skardu, Murree, Galliyat, Neelum valley, Bagh, Poonch, Haveli and Rawalakot on Saturday (today).

Approximately 15 inches of snowfall was recorded in Murree and the district administration stopped entry of vehicles in the hill station. \

The Met Office forecasted more snowfall in the hill station.

The snowfall started in the hill station on Thursday night and continued till Friday with occasional gaps. The Met Office recorded 15 inches of snow at Sunny Bank till filing of this report, forecasting more snowfall in upper areas of Murree and Galliyat till Saturday morning.

When contacted, Murree Deputy Commissioner Agha Zaheer Shirazi told Dawn that the entry of vehicles had been closed in Murree to avoid any incident as the snowfall was expected till late night on Friday. “More than two feet snowfall occurred in upper areas of the hill station,” he said. However, he said no road was closed due to the snowfall so far.

He said people who entered the hill station on Thursday were roaming in the hill station without any hurdle.

Many vehicles remained stuck at Chitta Mor on G.T. Road and Muussiaru in Murree on the Expressway.

However, Kamran Rashid, District Officer Emergency, told Dawn: “Few cars stuck but we cleared the way while police asked people to avoid coming.” He said mostly people did not adopt safety measures like using chains on tyres due to which the vehicles slipped on roads.

After closure of the entry point to Murree, contingents of National Highways and Motorway police were deployed on the Expressway. A spokesman for the NHMP said the objective of closing the Expressway was to prevent accidents and protect lives of the road users.

He said Murree Expressway (N-75) had been closed for all types of traffic from Phulgran Toll Plaza towards Murree, while Motorway E-35 Hazara has been closed from Echiyan to Kaspul due to rain and snowfall.

Motorway police officers were present at various places along N-75 to provide timely assistance and guidance to travelers, the spokesperson said. He said snow removal machines and other equipment were being used in the area.

He requested citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Murree due to the weather conditions.

Meanwhile, City Traffic Police Murree has been placed on high alert as the heavy snowfall continued in the area. Chief Traffic Officer Murree Imran Razak was supervising the traffic arrangements.

The traffic police had earlier issued an advisory for those travelling to Murree.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026