Thousands of vehicles stranded, at least 23 dead amid Pakistan snowstorm
By
Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 8, 2022 8:41 AM EDT
|
Updated Jan 10, 2022 1:28 AM EDT
Extreme snowfall rates combined with rush hour on the first weekday after the holidays to create a nightmare of a situation in Virginia, leaving some drivers stuck for more than a day and a half.
A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow across northern Pakistan late last week and into the weekend turned deadly when thousands of cars became stranded in the snow.
At least 23 are said to have died, according to Business Standard, citing Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. It was reported that most of the victims died of hypothermia as temperatures fell to 18 F (minus 8 C). Asphyxiation after inhaling fumes has been given as another possible reason for the deaths.
The unfortunate event took place in Murree, Pakistan, which is located about 25 miles (40 km) to the north of Islamabad in the mountainous northern region of the country.
The city is a large tourist area, and according to reporting from The New International, as many as 125,000 cars entered the city during the snowstorm which led to severe traffic jams.
The region is no stranger to heavy snow. The city attracts tourists each winter as people flock to the region to see snow, according to India Today.
As of Saturday, "Around 23,000 vehicles have been evacuated safely from Murree. Around 1,000 are still stranded," according to Rawalpindi deputy commissioner.
A strong storm system brought heavy rain and snow across Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India late in the week and into the start of the weekend, according to AccuWeather Meteorologists.
Observations from Murree show that 1.69 inches (43 mm) of liquid fell in the city from Friday into Saturday.
"Assuming that the majority of this was snow, and using a simple conversion of 10 inches (25 cm) of snow for every inch of liquid, we can estimate that about 17 inches (43 cm) of snow fell could have fallen," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
The same storm brought slightly over 2 inches (52.5 mm) of rain to Islamabad.
"Given the mountainous terrain across the region and heavier precipitation in nearby Islamabad, it is likely even heavier snow fell in some areas, especially at higher elevations, that led to such significant travel troubles" added Roys.
Some reports say as much as 4 feet (122 cm) of snow fell during the storm in parts of the region.
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This event followed a similar event early in the past week when motorists became stranded on Interstate 95 in Virginia.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
Thousands of vehicles stranded, at least 23 dead amid Pakistan snowstorm
By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 8, 2022 8:41 AM EDT | Updated Jan 10, 2022 1:28 AM EDT
Extreme snowfall rates combined with rush hour on the first weekday after the holidays to create a nightmare of a situation in Virginia, leaving some drivers stuck for more than a day and a half.
A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow across northern Pakistan late last week and into the weekend turned deadly when thousands of cars became stranded in the snow.
At least 23 are said to have died, according to Business Standard, citing Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. It was reported that most of the victims died of hypothermia as temperatures fell to 18 F (minus 8 C). Asphyxiation after inhaling fumes has been given as another possible reason for the deaths.
The unfortunate event took place in Murree, Pakistan, which is located about 25 miles (40 km) to the north of Islamabad in the mountainous northern region of the country.
The city is a large tourist area, and according to reporting from The New International, as many as 125,000 cars entered the city during the snowstorm which led to severe traffic jams.
The region is no stranger to heavy snow. The city attracts tourists each winter as people flock to the region to see snow, according to India Today.
As of Saturday, "Around 23,000 vehicles have been evacuated safely from Murree. Around 1,000 are still stranded," according to Rawalpindi deputy commissioner.
A strong storm system brought heavy rain and snow across Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India late in the week and into the start of the weekend, according to AccuWeather Meteorologists.
Observations from Murree show that 1.69 inches (43 mm) of liquid fell in the city from Friday into Saturday.
"Assuming that the majority of this was snow, and using a simple conversion of 10 inches (25 cm) of snow for every inch of liquid, we can estimate that about 17 inches (43 cm) of snow fell could have fallen," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
The same storm brought slightly over 2 inches (52.5 mm) of rain to Islamabad.
"Given the mountainous terrain across the region and heavier precipitation in nearby Islamabad, it is likely even heavier snow fell in some areas, especially at higher elevations, that led to such significant travel troubles" added Roys.
Some reports say as much as 4 feet (122 cm) of snow fell during the storm in parts of the region.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
This event followed a similar event early in the past week when motorists became stranded on Interstate 95 in Virginia.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo