PESHAWAR, Jan 5: Chitral, Swat and other hilly areas received heavy snowfall on Monday following a severe cold wave that has gripped many parts of the province for the last couple of days.

The Mercury level in the Peshawar Valley dipped further due to continuing snowfall in upper parts of the province. Met officials recorded minimum temperature at 4.7 degrees centigrade and maximum at 15.8 degrees centigrade in the provincial capital.

Heavily overcast conditions prevailed in the city throughout the day with sporadic drizzle in the morning. The Met office forecast cloudy weather during the next 24 hours.

The intermittent snowfall over the surrounding hills and rain in the urban areas brought down the mercury to a freezing level in the Swat Valley, according to our Mingora correspondent.

Some parts of the Valley remained in the grip of a thick fog. The rain disrupted the telephone service and power supply. People faced problems as the city roads turned into ponds.

Kalam, Beharin, Madyan, Miandam and other areas are experiencing a severe cold wave. The snowfall also caused hurdles in the flow of traffic between Mingora-Kalam, Mingora-Alpurai-Besham and other areas.