MANSEHRA: Babusar Top, the highest tourist destination in Kaghan valley, received the first snowfall of the season on Saturday, making the weather pleasant. The snowfall was also recorded in the high-altitude mountainous areas of the valley, bringing relief from the sweltering heatwave that had persisted in the lower parts of Hazara Division for the past couple of weeks. The visitors and passengers travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan via Babusar Top by Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road enjoyed the first snowfall of the season.
"It is an unusually early snowfall even at such a high altitude, as weather patterns have changed over the past decade. We now expect our mountains to be covered with snow in early or mid-November," a resident said. He said temperatures in the valley had plunged sharply over the past week, forcing people to wrap themselves in shawls and sweaters and start wearing warm clothes.
According to the administration, the Balakot Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad link roads in Kaghan valley and other parts of the tehsil are open to traffic. Meanwhile, the upper parts of Hazara Division also received scattered rainfall, bringing an end to the heatwave. The Mansehra, Torghar, Kolai-Palas, Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan districts received downpours.
An electricity transmission pole was uprooted nearby, blocking traffic for several hours.