LAHORE, Sept 16: It rained in different cities of the country on Sunday, with the Met Office forecasting heavy rain for Monday or Tuesday in the catchment areas of eastern rivers, leading to the possibility of high flood in Chenab and Jhelum.

Lahore received rain in the morning and again in the evening. And it was raining when this report was being filed.

Last week, torrential rain played havoc in south Punjab and parts of Sindh and Balochistan, claiming a number of lives, destroying houses and crops and washing away embankments of at least three major canals.

However, the coming rain spell is likely to hit northern and north-eastern parts of the country. The reason is a westerly wave over northern areas and a strong monsoon current penetrating upper parts of the country.

Scattered thunderstorm/ rain with isolated heavy rain is expected over Kashmir, north and northeast Punjab in the next 24 hours. Scattered thunderstorm/rain is also likely over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, northeast Balochistan and south and central Punjab.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, widespread thunderstorm/ rain with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, at times extremely heavy rain, will pound upper catchments of Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum rivers along with north and northeast Punjab (Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Rawalpindi divisions) over the next 36 hours.

As a result, Chenab and Jhelum rivers are likely to cross the high flood mark after 36 hours. Urban flooding and hailstorm (in some cities) are also likely.

According to the local Met office, Mianwali on Sunday received 65mm of rain, Toba Tek Singh and Faisalabad 26mm (each), Sargodha 20mm, Jhang 17mm, Kotli 16mm, Peshawar city 10mm, Islamabad airport, Jhang and Mandi Bahauddin 6mm, Lahore city and airport 5mm, Shorkot 4mm, and Joharabad, Bahawalnagar and Bannu 3mm.