ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: It was yet another day of biting cold in the twin cities, with mercury sticking a degree below the freezing point and the people huddling around the heaters.

The low temperature is being attributed to the chilly winds from the hill resort of Murree, where it was five degrees centigrade below the freezing point.

Though, it has not snowed for the past couple of days, much to the dismay of the tourists, the stinging cold was enough to force many a people to cut short their programmes and return. The maximum temperature at Murree was 10.

“It was so cold at night that I felt like freezing,” said Munawar Ali, who came from Karachi to spend a week with his friend. “I am thinking of cutting short my visit. I can’t bear this cold.”

The coldest places were Skardu and Parachinar with temperatures recorded at 11 degrees below the freezing point. Gilgit was a better with four below the freezing and a high of 12 degrees centigrade.

The provincial capital of Balochistan, Quetta registered three degrees below freezing point, a relief to the residents who were experiencing 10 some days back. The maximum temperature was 13.

The recent cold wave had forced the people to use natural gas heaters even during night, causing deaths in Quetta and Rawalpindi.

The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited had as usual been too late in warning consumers about the hazards of using heaters in closed rooms at night and an advertisement warning the people was published on Tuesday in local dailies.

Thick fog was reported from central Punjab, creating problems for vehicular traffic and trains. The met office has warned the travellers to expect delays and to drive carefully due to poor visibility.

The met office has forecast mainly dry and very cold weather for the Northern Areas, while most parts of the country will also remain cold and dry.

In Lahore, the minimum temperature was six with a high of 12, Peshawar was three with a high of 18, Muzaffarabad was two with a high of 21, Multan was five with high of 18, Faisalabad was five with high of 10 and Sargodha was three with high of 11.

In Karachi, the met office reported fair weather with cool night on Wednesday. The intensity of cold reduced slightly as the minimum temperature increased to 13.5 degree centigrade from 12 degree centigrade on Monday.

The maximum temperature of the city was 28.4 degree centigrade with a humidity of 38 per cent. According to the met office, the city’s minimum temperature would remain in the range of 13 to 15 degree centigrade on Wednesday.—APP