KARACHI: A fresh monsoon rainy and windy spell is likely to grip the country from 13th July till next Monday, which may spur flash and urban floods in cities and rural areas, the Met Office said on Tuesday.
It said that a monsoonal weather system from the Arabian sea is expected in the country’s upper and central parts on the eve of July, which will intensify on July 14 to produce intermittent rains.
It also asked the farmers to chalk out their irrigation plans in line with the weather and warned about the windstorm may damage highrise installations and loose structures like electric poles and solar panels.
Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kasur and Okara are likely to see intermittent rains, wind-thundershowers with a few downpours from July 12 till 17.
Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar, Chitral, Swat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad and Haripur are also expected to receive the intermittent rainy spells with windstorm and thundershowers from July 13 till 17.
Similarly, the rainy and windy weather may prevail over Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kurram, Lakki Marwat, Kohat, D I Khan, Bannu, Karak, Waziristan, Mianwali, Khusab, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh over the same period.
From July 14 till 16, rain and wind-thundershowers are likely in Barkhan, Loralai, Kalat, Khuzdar, Zhob, Lasbella, Awaran, Musakhel, DG Khan, Rajanpur, Multan, Bhakkar, Layyah, Kot-Addu, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Nangarparkar, Tharparker, Umerkot, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas.
Heavy rains may cause urban floods in low lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala and Lahore from July 14 to 17, the Met warned.
Similarly, the downpours are also expected to trigger landslides in vulnerable parts of Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the period, it added.
It urged tourists and travellers for an extra caution during rains in a bid to avoid untoward situation, besides asking the public to stay safe in downpours.
“All concerned authorities are advised to remain alert and to take necessary precautionary measure during the forecast period,” the Met said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023