A heavy snowfall spell began in Muree and other areas Wednesday morning leading the National Highways and Motorway police to issue an alert.

The Met Office issued a weather update on Tuesday, warning that “heavy snowfall may disrupt and cause clouser of roads in Murree , Galiyat, Naran, Kaghan, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Shangla, Astore, Hunza, Skardu, Neelum valley, Bagh, Poonch and Haveli from 11th to 13th January 2023.”

The National Highways and Motorway Police said Wednesday noon that the Islamabad-Murree Expressway was receiving snowfall between Lower Topa and Patriata More.

It advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and drive carefully.

Thin tourists presence in Murree

This is the second major snowfall at Muree hill station which usually attracts a heavy number of local tourists from nearby Rawalpindi and Islamabad, but this year fewer tourists have turned up as memories of the 2022 snowstorm haunt survivors.

Last year, hundreds of tourists were stranded on Murree’s roads in a snowstorm that killed at least 22 people. Many of them did not have hotel bookings and had planned a one-day trip with the hope that they will be able to return.

This seaon hotels are offering a discount, yet people have largely avoided the hill station.