LAHORE, Jan 27: Downpour accompanied with thunderstorm lashed Lahore and other cities in the Punjab on Thursday. The rain again lowered the temperature, which had increased a bit because of clear weather during the past two days.

In Lahore, it drizzled early in the morning but clouds almost scudded away afterwards. Rain started around 2.45pm after dark clouds covered the city. Motorists had to switch on headlights of their vehicles, as the dark clouds drastically reduced visibility.

The downpour continued till night, causing a great deal of inconvenience to people due to accumulation of water on streets and even main roads. For those who stayed indoors most of the time, frequent power fluctuations were enough to cause headache.

By 8pm, the meteorological office had recorded 29mm of rain at the airport and 27mm at its Jail Road observatory. The maximum temperature was 16.2 degrees Celsius and the minimum 7.5 degrees C with 80 per cent humidity in the morning and 93 per cent in the evening.

The Met office said a strong westerly system over the northern areas also gave rain in many other cities in the Punjab, including those in the South. It reported that by 5pm Jhelum had received 24mm of rain, Sahiwal 7.2mm, Bahawalnagar 6.7mm, Faisalabad 6mm, Shorkot 2mm and Dera Ghazi Khan had traces of rain. It forecast chances of more rain and thunderstorm in the plains of the province during the next 24 hours.