Downpour, flash floods likely today, tomorrow

Islamabad: While issuing a severe weather warning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rains and flash floods in many parts of the country, including Islamabad and Rawalpindi, tonight (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday).
According to an official of the PMD Islamabad offices, isolated heavy rainfall is likely to occur in northeast Balochistan areas including Quetta, Kalat and Zhob divisions, Islamabad, upper Punjab areas including Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore and Sahiwal divisions, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas including Malakand, Kohat, Mardan, Hazara and Dera Ismail Khan divisions, Federally Administered Tribal Areas including Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, Orakzai, Waziristan agencies, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday night and Sunday. Also, there is a high likelihood of the country’s submontane areas i.e. those situated in the foothills or lower slopes of a mountain range, seeing rains accompanied by isolated hailstorm during the next 48 hours.
The official said the current wet spell was caused by a strong western disturbance, which entered the country on Friday night. He said the spell was likely to prevail over the central and upper parts of the country until Monday morning.