The spell will continue for three to four days, according to PMD officials. PHOTO:FILE
A break from the excruciating hot and humid weather is around the corner, with the twin cities due for a few consecutive days of rain this week.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted rain for Islamabad and Rawalpindi beginning midweek. The spell will continue for three to four days, according to PMD officials.
The twin cities have witnessed levels of relative humidity ranging between 50 and 80 over the past two days, according data provided by the PMD’s National Weather Forecasting Centre. High levels of humidity signal upcoming rains, but they also elevate the perception of heat for the human body. The average temperature in Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained in the mid-thirties over the weekend.
A PMD duty officer told The Express Tribune said a good spell of rain is expected which “is predicted to last for the entire week”.
The high humidity in the twin cities meant significant moisture has been accumulated in the atmosphere, according to the PMD.
As light to moderate monsoonal currents from the Arabian Sea reach upper parts of Pakistan, rain and thundershowers are predicted at scattered places in upper Punjab including Islamabad and Rawalpindi during the week.
Dr Muhammad Hanif, Director of PMD’s National Weather Forecasting Centre had recently told The Express Tribune that the timings of rainfall are determined by the strength of the weather system. Islamabad and Rawalpindi have mostly been receiving rain showers between midnight and dawn.
“It is raining in the night time because the weather system acting on Islamabad is of moderate intensity,” Hanif said. “So the rains are intermittent and occur in brief spells.”
He said if the system is strong, showers can persist for 12 to 20 hours, thereby raining day and night. The strength of the Monsoon rains is expected to increase slightly starting in August, Hanif said.
Islamabad has recorded considerable rains during July. Saidpur, in the eastern half of the federal capital, alone has witnessed around 400 millimetres (mm) of rain and on at least two occasions, areas around the city’s northeast including Saidpur, Margalla Road, F-6, G-5, have seen brief episodes of flash flooding. Winds accompanying the rain have also resulted in some power outages and uprooting trees in the same areas during July.
Some residents such as Amina Askari, who have experienced flooding of Islamabad roads in the recent rains, have come up with their own driving system for the rains.
“When it pours in Islamabad, it is always wise to take inner routes and older roads,” Askari, who works at the Rural Support Programmes Network, shared her practical wisdom. “The newer roads are more likely to be flooded, in my experience.”
The new roads might be more affected because of the size of the drain pipes installed for run-off there. The Capital Development Authority’s Flood Relief Cell will be making rounds of the city at night during the Monsoon season and can be contacted at 16 and 051-2855513 for help in case of flash flooding incidents.
A map, created by The Express Tribune, of areas in Islamabad that were affected temporarily during the July rains can be seen here.
F-6
Latitude: 33.729551
Longitude: 73.073058
Power outages
July 6-7
Small_black
Margalla Road near Marghazar Zoo Signal
Latitude: 33.731906
Longitude: 73.062329
Flash Flooding
July 6-7
Large_blue
F-7
Latitude: 33.721056
Longitude: 73.054948
Power outages
July 6-7, JULY 21
Small_black
Margalla Road near PMLQ House
Latitude: 33.730479
Longitude: 73.059762
Flash Flooding 2532
July 6-7
Large_blue
Margalla Road near PMLQ House
Latitude: 33.730479
Longitude: 73.059762
Flash Flooding 222
July 6-7
Large_blue
Margalla Road opposite Bahria University
Latitude: 33.714934
Longitude: 73.029574
Flash Flooding 5335
July 6-7
Large_blue
Jasmine Road near Sitara Market
Latitude: 33.730479
Longitude: 73.059762
July 21
Small_blue
7th Avenue - Blue
Area crossing
Latitude: 33.719717
Longitude: 73.070775
Damage
July 21
Large_purple
Federal Government Primary School No. 5
Latitude: 33.714336
Longitude: 73.082405
Damage
July 24
Large_purple
Working Women's Hostel, G-6/3
Latitude: 33.718593
Longitude: 73.086841
Flooding
July 21
Large_Blue
France Colony, F-7/4
Latitude: 33.720859
Longitude: 73.061632
Flash Flooding
July 6-7
Large_Blue
Residential area in G-7/2 near Comprehensive School No.1
Latitude: 33.706848
Longitude: 73.061907
Basement flooding
July 21
Large_blue
France Colony, F-7/4
Latitude: 33.720079
Longitude: 73.062616
Tree uprooted
July 6-7
Large_green
France Colony, F-7/4
Latitude: 33.721154
Longitude: 73.062095
Drowning incident/Fatality
July 6-7
Large_green
Embassy Read PSO Pump
Latitude: 33.715951
Longitude: 73.096865
Tree uprooted
July 24
Large_green
Agha Khan Road in front of Marriot Hotel
Latitude: 33.733379
Longitude: 73.087329
Flash flooding
July 6-7
Large_blue
PM Staff Colony near 4th Avenue
Latitude: 33.732995
Longitude: 73.108968
Flash flooding
July 21
Large_blue
Khayaban-e Iqbal near Saidpur village entrance
Latitude: 33.737402
Longitude: 73.071349
Flash flooding
July 7, July 21
Large_blue
Fazl-e Haq road near China Chowk
Latitude: 33.722662
Longitude: 73.082791
Flash flooding
July 24
Large_blue
Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2013.
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1732012115-0/Untitled-design-(14)1732012115-0-270x192.webp "contractors to take over sanitation")
Blessing of God soon turned into a big trouble for karachites. Heavy traffic jam, flood and electricity failure. Poor arrangements from authorities. May God protect this city.