Farmers warned to protect crops

Farmers should ensure measures to protect crops, nurseries and orchids from extreme cold weather, the Met Office has said. It said that the farmers should also remove weeds from standing crops to help improve yield. It warned that weeds cause a considerable loss in production annually. Growers should also plan crops irrigations during the winter season.
Temperature during night is expected to drop slightly by 1 to 2 degree Celsius while in day likely to remain slightly normal in the most parts. Normal wind pattern is likely to prevail over the most agriculture plains. It alerted farmers of Southern Punjab and Upper Sindh to sandstorms until January 20. Mainly dry and cold weather is expected to prevail over agriculture plains of Punjab and Balochistan while in the most parts of Sindh and Kashmir. A light to moderate rainfall and snowfall over the mountains of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan are expected over the period.
In next 24 hours: Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in the most parts of the country with light rain and with snowfall over the hills at places in Malakand Division and Gilgit-Baltistan. Fog is expected to grip plains of Punjab and Upper Sindh in morning hours. Temperature in Skardu was minus 9 degrees Celsius, Gupis minus 8, Quetta, Gilgit, Astore and Hunza minus 7, each, Ziarat minus 6, Kalat, Kalam, Dir minus 5, each, Bagrote minus 4, Dalbandin, Rawalakot and Chitral minus 3, each over the past 24 hours.