ISLAMABAD: The Met Office has warned of moderate to heavy rainfall in northern parts of the country as well as Kashmir, due to moisture-filled clouds entering the country from the west.

The Met Office said that rainfall is expected in parts of the country from Sunday.

Under the influence of this weather system moderate to isolated, heavy rainfall is expected in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad and Sahiwal divisions.

These conditions will also bring snow to Murree and the tops of Galiyat hills. Upper parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan and Kohat divisions are also likely to be affected by the incoming system.

Similar conditions are expected in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from Sunday to Wednesday, which could bring heavy snowfall at isolated hilly areas.

The Met Office has said moderate to heavy rain and snow can trigger landslides and avalanches, which are expected in vulnerable areas in the Malakand and Hazara divisions and GB and Kashmir from Monday to Wednesday.

The meteorological department has also issued alerts to the concerned authorities.

Since the system is entering from the southwest, rain is also expected in scattered locations in the Quetta, Zhob, Kalat, Makran, D.I. Khan, Bannu and D.G. Khan divisions on Sunday.

Light rainfall is expected in the Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Bahawalpur and Multan divisions on Sunday.

Due to the cold winds, there is no fog in vulnerable areas such as Swabi, Nowshera, Lahore and Faisalabad, but foggy conditions are present in the plain areas of southern Punjab and upper Sindh at night and in the morning.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2019