Rain clears Lahore smog as AQI falls to 111

Rain and light drizzle in Lahore pushed the city's average air quality index down to 111, easing the smog over the provincial capital, according to weather data reported by Dunya News.

The Meteorological Department said winds blowing since the previous evening and rain in different areas of the city had contributed to a slight improvement in air quality.

Lahore is expected to remain cloudy, with chances of light drizzle at scattered places during different parts of the day. Weather data showed the city's maximum temperature reaching 29 degrees Celsius, with the minimum likely to remain at 17 degrees Celsius. Humidity was recorded at 70 per cent, with winds blowing at a speed of five kilometres per hour.

Air pollution in Bahawalpur remained far worse. The city's air quality index reached 520, a reading well above Lahore's 111, and the report described the level there as extremely alarming.

Rain and drizzle in several cities across Pakistan have also intensified the cold weather. The first rain and snowfall of the winter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan brought a sharp drop in temperatures, and the weather in the two regions has turned extremely cold.

Heavy snowfall at Babusar Top forced the closure of the road beyond Baisar, leaving two oil tankers stranded because of the adverse conditions. Snowfall was also reported in the mountains of Upper Hunza and at Khunjerab Pass.

The Meteorological Department has forecast further rain and snowfall across the country over the next 24 hours.