LAHORE: The ongoing dry season is likely to end on Monday as the Met Office has forecast rains across the country and snowfall in the mountains.

The rainfall will also be beneficial for the wheat crop under stress from water scarcity and fertilizer shortage.

A strong westerly wave likely to enter western and upper parts of the country on Jan 2 (Sunday) will grip most parts of the country on Monday (today) and it may persist till Jan 7 (Friday), says the Met Office.

This weather system is set to cause rain, with isolated heavy to very heavy falls, in Quetta, Ziarat, Pishin, Zhob, Qila Abdullah, Nok Kundi, Dalbandin, Noshki, Turbat, Panjgur, Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani, Lasbela, Kalat, Khuzdar, Mastung, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Bolan, Sibbi, Kohlu, and Barkhan districts of Balochistan. There will be rain in Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Rajanpur, Multan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan district in Punjab, as well as Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Karachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Mirpurkhas and Khairpur districts of Sindh from Jan 2 to Jan 6.

Rains, with isolated heavy falls, are expected in Islamabad, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Malakand, Kohistan, Shangla, Buner, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Charsadda, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Khushab, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore and Kasur districts from Jan 3 to Jan 7.

Heavy snowfall is also expected in Quetta, Pishin, Ziarat, Qilla Abdullah, Harnai, Chaman, Murree, Galliyat, Neelum valley, Bagh, Haveli, Rawalakot, Naran, Kaghan, Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Astore, Chitral, Dir, Swat and Malam Jabba during this period, says the Met Office.

It warns that heavy rainfall may generate flash flooding in vulnerable parts of Sibbi, Bolan, Kalat, Khuzdar, Naseerabad, Kohlu and Kohe Suleman from Jan 3 to Jan 5 while heavy snowfall may cause road closures in mountainous regions.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2022