Pakistan, northern India face renewed threat of flooding through Saturday
After flooding and landslides caused numerous deaths in Pakistan late last week, the next storm system is already threatening parts of the country with a new round of rain.
The storm tracked across southern Iran and Afghanistan on Monday and Tuesday before arriving in northern Pakistan on Wednesday.
Despite the heaviest rain from this storm waiting to arrive until Wednesday, the recent rains have been deadly across Pakistan. On Sunday, officials confirmed 17 deaths in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from heavy rains and flooding, and declared a weather emergency to help relocate residents displaced by the disaster, reported The Express Tribune.
On Monday, reports flooded in of a bus accident that sent the vehicle into the swollen Sindh River, killing at least 25 people, according to the National Press of Pakistan.
Showers and thunderstorms spread from eastern Afghanistan into far northern India, including the states of Himachal, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.
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Steadier and heavier rain is forecast for far eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and into far northern India as the storm forces moisture into the meeting point of the Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountains.
By Friday, the storm will shift east. Rain and storms will gradually taper off across Pakistan, but will spread farther east along the Himalayas into northeastern India and Bhutan.
Through the second half of the week, isolated showers and thunderstorms are also expected to develop in parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal of eastern India.
A couple of storms can drift into northwestern Bangladesh.
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Rainfall totals up to 13-25 mm (0.5-1 inch) will be common across the region from this system, but totals can accumulate up to 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) in areas of heavier rain. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 150 mm (6 inches) is possible in the mountains of Pakistan and far northern India.
Localized flooding will be possible in areas of poor drainage and in any downpours that develop through the second half of the week. Northern Pakistan will face the greatest risk after torrential rain caused flooding late last week and into this past weekend.
Colder air arriving with the storm will cause precipitation to fall as snow in higher elevations, but it could also pose a risk to those displaced in the mountainous areas of Pakistan.
Flooding and chilly conditions will not be the only concerns as storms return to the area. Frequent lighting strikes will be dangerous for anyone caught outside during the unsettled period.
Residents are reminded to head inside at the first rumble of thunder.
Some of the wet weather may prove beneficial. Lengthy periods of rain could improve air quality across northern India where air pollution reaches dangerous levels during the drier season.
Occasional showers and thunderstorms are forecast to continue into the weekend near the mountains of northern India and Nepal.
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