Much awaited rain arrives in north India and Pakistan by Steph Ball
Much needed rain arrived across parts of Pakistan and the north of India during Friday bringing with it a marked drop in temperature.
Across Pakistan, for some, the rain bought an end to what had been quite a long dry spell. In some hillier regions especially, heavy rain is said to have resulted in landslides, cutting off the road access into some of the major towns and cities. In Quetta, 23 houses were destroyed by torrential rain and hail, with reports of some injuries to their inhabitants.
Heavy snowfalls on the Khojak Pass in Balochistan are said to have triggered mudslides which closed the main route into the provincial capital, Quetta also leaving many vehicles stranded. There have been reports of roof’s collapsing under the sheer weight of snow.
For residents of Delhi, India, the arrival of the rain and cold in northern India on Friday night sprang a real surprise. After several weeks of experiencing some very mild weather they had been led into a false sense of security that winter might actually have ended.
After experiencing temperatures in the high 20C’s earlier this week- up to 29C in Delhi on Tuesday, the thermometer took a sharp dip with the high on Saturday reaching just 17.2C. This was a good six degrees below the normal expected maxima leaving many locals shivering.
While the rain was not unusual for this time of year it made up for a shortfall over the last month, with the capital totting up 9.5mm and 10.8mm in Palam.
In the hill State of Uttarakhand there were also reports of heavy snow and the famous tourist resort of Kufri near Shimla was left blanketed by snow.
The wet weather is said to have been caused by an area of low pressure lying over central Pakistan. The cold, wet weather is forecast to continue for the next few days.
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