Galiyat valley, Swat, Gilgit Baltistan areas and scenic Murree received a blanket of snow after 35 years in the month of April.
Snowfall has gripped northern parts of the country. Murree, Swat, Skardu have received late winter spell of snowfall and rainfall after 3 decades.
Murree and neighboring areas has received such a heavy snowfall in the middle of the spring season at least 35 years. Another reported suggested that the spectacular Galiyat valley witnessed snow in April after almost 39 years.
Most of the northern part of the country including Skardu, Galiyat valley, Swat, Gilgit Balistan areas and scenic Murree received a blanket of snow in the month of April.
The surprise turn in the weather has made the citizens happy and joyous while the tourists have started arriving in Murree, Galiyat and Skardu after to enjoy the scenic sights of mountain’s snowfall.
A local resident of Nathiagali, Sardar Khalid Khan, said that normally, snow stops falling during the first or second week of March every year.
The low-lying areas of Galiyat received between six to eight inches of snow while hilly areas such as Thandiyani and Ayubia received as much as 10 to 12 inches of snow.
Abbottabad-Murree Road remained blocked from Friday morning till noon owing to slippery conditions. Only vehicles with snow tires and chains could ply the roads.
Intermittent snowfall was also reported in Balakot, Naran and Kaghan areas, while Kohistan also received rain.
Snowfall in April attributed to Climate Change
However, for some, the snow in the month of April is more alarming than joyous.
Noman Ahmed, an environmentalist, connected the new weather conditions to global warming as a result of deforestation – which has been rampant in recent years in the area.
He said that that increasing vehicular and industrial emissions coupled with stripping forests were the major contributing factors to climate change.