The upper and central parts of the country are set to receive a fresh spell of monsoon rains from August 13 to 15, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Wednesday.

In an advisory, the Met Office said monsoon currents were penetrating the upper parts of the country along with a westerly wave.

In Kashmir, it forecast rain accompanied by wind and thundershowers in Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber and Mirpur. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the Met Office predicted rain in Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche and Shigar.

In upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Malakand, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Galiyat, Buner, Bajaur, Mohmand, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Haripur, Kurram and Khyber are expected to receive rain.

In northeast Punjab, rainfall was predicted in Murree, Sialkot, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib from the night of August 12 to August 15, with occasional gaps.

Rain-wind and thundershowers, with a few heavy falls, are also expected in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the Pothohar region from the night of August 13 to August 15, with occasional gaps.

In Sargodha, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Khushab, Layyah, Bhakkar, Noorpur Thal, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Zhob, Barkhan and Musakhel, the Met Office predicted rainfall from August 12 to 15.

Meanwhile, in Sindh, partly cloudy to cloudy weather is expected in the southeastern and coastal areas, with chances of rain-wind/thundershowers in Tharparkar, Umerkot and Sanghar districts on August 12 and 13.

Elsewhere in Sindh, hot and humid weather is expected to persist.

The Met Office warned of urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Mardan, Swabi, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore during the forecast period.

It also indicated the possibility of landslides in vulnerable areas of upper KP, including Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Buner, Battagram, Mansehra, Haripur and Abbottabad, as well as in GB, Murree, Galiyat and Kashmir.

The Met Office advised tourists to exercise caution, while farmers were urged to manage crop activities in accordance with weather conditions.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 155 people have lost their lives and 460 have been injured in rain-related incidents in the current monsoon season.

Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies.

However, heavy downpours also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.