Roads turn white as rare hailstorm hits Lahore

LAHORE: Roads turned white as a rare hailstorm hit the provincial capital and its surrounding areas on Tuesday night.

Giving parts of the provincial capital the feel of a hill station, the hailstorm further added to the prevailing chilly conditions.

While people watched the freak turn of weather with a pleasant surprise, motorists were seen rushing to cover as hailstones the size of small strawberries started meteoring down the sky.

what a day! #lahore #hailstorm pic.twitter.com/FSs9SaQJmF

— M. (@bleekhhh) January 22, 2019

Lahore what you at? 😪❤ pic.twitter.com/Ws8EATsbBg

— ف۔ (@fatilyEverafter) January 22, 2019

Hailing 😍#Lahore ❤ pic.twitter.com/9PN5jlOFqg

— Uswah. (@Uswiii) January 22, 2019

SnowFall in Lahore⛈⛈🌧❄🌧⛈🌩😂 pic.twitter.com/vOqKFomAkQ

— Sanam| (@Sanam_Afridian) January 22, 2019

Lahore 😍😍 pic.twitter.com/lu1oXoXwkt

— Hammad 👨‍🔬 (@bookishengineer) January 22, 2019

Besides Lahore, adjoining Sheikhupura and the M2 motorway near Kalar Kahar also received heavy hail.

Dozens of vehicles were reported to have skidded off the road amid the slippery driving conditions.

The instance that was last witnessed such widely in Punjab back in 2011, is a form of solid precipitation.

It is distinct from ice pellets as hail consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice. Ice pellets fall generally in cold weather while hail growth is greatly inhibited during cold surface temperatures.

Meanwhile, weather in Lahore and other cities of the province took a turn for the cooler after a continued moderate to heavy spell of intermittent rain all day long.

The maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded as 15 degrees Celsius and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively.