Weekend rain forecast

Islamabad

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast another spell of rain and snowfall over the weekend amid a warning of landslides.

“Another weather system is likely to approach the country on Friday. Under its influence, rain is likely to fall in different areas of the country, including Islamabad and Rawalpindi, on the coming Saturday and Sunday,” Irfan Virk, deputy director at the PMD National Weather Forecasting Centre, Islamabad, told reporters here.

The weatherman said rain coupled with thunderstorm were expected at scattered places of Islamabad, Upper Punjab including Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha divisions over the next weekend.

He also said snow was likely to fall over the hills of Murree and Galliyat during the period.

According to Irfan Virk, thundershowers are expected at a number of places in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata from Friday evening to Sunday, while there is a high likelihood of isolated heavy rain and snowfall over the hills in Malakand and Hazara divisions on Saturday and Sunday.

“Rain and snowfall with isolated heavy-falls is expected at a number of places of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from Friday to Monday, while in Balochistan, too, rain and thunderstorm with snowfall over the hills is likely to happen at isolated places of northern Balochistan including Quetta, Kalat and Zhob divisions on Friday and Saturday,” he said.

The weatherman warned there was a risk of landslides and avalanches in the vulnerable areas of KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the period due to intermittent rains.