Normal rains likely this month

Islamabad: The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast little above normal rains and snowfall in the northern parts of the country, including Islamabad, in the current month.

However, other parts of the country will see below normal rainfall. In a weather advisory developed for the month of January in light of the global and regional climatic conditions, a spokesman for the PMD said the El-Nino conditions were likely to strengthen in January, while the North Atlantic Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole would stay in neutral phase.

“Though an overall normal rainfall is likely to occur in the country in the current month, northern parts of the country, including upper KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad, will get slightly above normal rainfall and snowfall,” he said.

The weatherman said southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan were expected to receive slightly below normal rainfall in the month. He also forecast foggy conditions in the plains of central and lower Punjab, Peshawar and Hazara division of Khyber-Pakhtun-khwa in January.