RAWALPINDI: Residents of the twin cities woke up early Wednesday morning to the clamour of hail and rain lashing down on rooftops and the showers continued into the evening.

The Meteorological department recorded 39 millimetres of rain at Saidpur, 20mm at Zero Point and 22mm at Golra in Islamabad. In Rawalpindi, 21mm was recorded at Shamsabad, 19mm at Chaklala and 35mm at Bokra. The wind blew at 32 kilometre per hour from south to east.

The Met Office has forecast more rain for the next 12 hours. “A western disturbance is affecting upper parts of the country and is likely to move in the north easterly direction during the next 12 hours,” the official said.

Rain began pouring down in the wee hours of Wednesday and continued into the night with a brief break around noon, when the sun came out for a few hours. Later, dark clouds gathered once again and started raining.

It was a bad day for air travel and many flights were delayed. Flights from Karachi and Quetta were diverted to Lahore and flights landing in Islamabad were delayed for three to four hours.

A Civil Aviation Authority official said rain does not affect air operations but hail and thunder combined with gusty winds could cause problems for airplanes. He said in the afternoon, flights began arriving on schedule.

The rain caused problems for motorists and pedestrians as under-construction roads became muddy and slippery.

Taj Ali, a resident of Jamia Masjid Road, said rain is a blessing but becomes a nuisance because of the mess it creates. “The government turns a blind eye to the condition of the city which is exposed after the rains. Water accumulates on roads and there is mud everywhere,” he said.

The hailstorm spelled disaster for farmers of the Potohar region as it posed threat of damage for the near-grown wheat plants.

Raja Khalid, a farmer near Rawat, said rain is good for a crop but the hail could cause damage. “Fortunately, most plants survived,” he said.

Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) welcomed the rain. Water levels in the Rawal Dam rose to 1,748 feet and the water is enough to fulfill the garrison city’s water need for the next few months.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2015

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