LAHORE, Sept 5: It rained in different parts of the country on Wednesday and a fresh forecast indicated intensification of the spell from Thursday almost all over the country, causing urban or flash flooding and swelling of eastern rivers in Punjab.

The rains are being generated by a combination of a westerly wave persisting over northern parts of the country and the monsoon currents being sent by a well-marked monsoon low in India.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the monsoon low that has developed over the Bay of Bengal was located over Madhya Pradesh (India) and adjoining areas on Wednesday.

This special rain generating system was likely to move northwestwards (towards Pakistan). Strong monsoon currents from this system will start penetrating Pakistan from Thursday and bring, in conjunction with awaiting cold westerly, fairly widespread monsoon rains in the country for at least three days. The rains will be heavy at isolated places.

The rains are likely to generate urban and flash floods in some areas with chances of flooding in rivers Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum.

The Met department forecast widespread rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls in Sindh from Thursday to Saturday.

Scattered rains/thundershowers with isolated heavy rains are expected in Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday and Saturday. In Dera Ghazi Khan division and adjoining areas in Punjab and lower KP, including Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Kohat divisions, floods are likely from Thursday to Saturday.

Scattered rain/thundershowers, with isolated heavy rains, are expected in eastern parts of Balochistan from Thursday to Saturday. Heavy rains are likely to cause floods in north eastern parts of the province, especially Zhob, Sibbi and Nasirabad divisions, from Thursday to Saturday. Gilgit-Baltistan will receive scattered rain over the period.

Meanwhile, different cities in the country received moderate to heavy rains on Wednesday. Balakot was the worst hit as it recorded 152mm of rain in just 12 hours. Garhi Dupatta received 54mm of rain, Muree 42mm, Badin 38mm, Nawabshah 33mm, Shorkot 31mm, Karachi 30mm, Saidu Sharif and Sahiwal 25mm each, Rawlakot 22mm, Chorr and Faisalabad 19mm, Khuzdar 18mm, Jhelum 14mm, Sialkot airport 13mm, Sibi 11mm, Mirpur Khas and Bunji 10mm each, Lasbela, Rahim Yar Khan and Malamjabba 9mm each, Dera Ghazi Khan 8mm, Mangla, Moenjodero, Kotli and Hunza 7mm each, Astore 6mm, Chilas, Gujranwala, and Mandi Bahauddin 5mm each.

Parts of Lahore received considerable rain whereas it merely drizzled around the airport. The Met office recorded 15mm of rain at its Jail Road office.

The rain and the cloud cover kept weather pleasant. The maximum temperature was 32 degrees Celsius and the minimum 23.8 degrees.

KARACHI: Karachi received the first spell of its monsoon showers on Wednesday while in some other parts of Sindh it was the third consecutive day of downpour.

At least three rain-related deaths were reported in the province, including one in Karachi. Power outages in the interior of Sindh were frequent and prolonged. Karachi, too, received its share of power breakdowns soon after it began raining.

Thousands of motorists in the metropolis remained stuck for hours in traffic jams, mainly caused by the accumulation of water on roads as most sewers along the roads were clogged. Low-lying areas in several rain-hit areas were flooded. Rain disrupted flights schedule also. The Met Office in Karachi forecast rain for another three days.