PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Pakistan’s northwest on Friday directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) authorities to take precautionary measures ahead of a fresh spell of rain and snowfall expected from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3.

The alert follows a warning issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Jan. 25 of possible landslides and avalanches in hilly areas, urging residents, travelers and tourists to exercise caution.

The PMD issued the warning after at least nine people were killed and a child was injured in an avalanche that struck a house in KP’s Chitral district earlier this month on Jan. 23.

“According to the Meteorological Department, a new spell of westerly weather is likely from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3,” KP’s PDMA said in a statement.

“Snowfall is expected at a few locations in upper areas, with a possible drop in temperatures.”

The statement added that rain and snowfall were expected in mountainous areas of upper districts including Abbottabad, Haripur, Mansehra, Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper and Lower Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Battagram, Shangla, Upper and Lower Kohistan and Kolai Palas.

The PDMA said intermittent rain was also likely in Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, North and South Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan.

It warned that rain and snowfall could cause road closures and slippery conditions in upper tourist areas, including Naran, Kaghan, Kalam, and Chitral.

Tourists were advised to avoid unnecessary travel and exercise caution, it added.

Tens of thousands of tourists flock to Pakistan’s scenic northern and northwestern regions every winter to witness snowfall, often neglecting warnings from disaster management authorities.

In Jan. 2022, at least 21 people, including children, died after getting stuck in freezing temperatures during a snowstorm in the Pakistani hill station of Murree.