Snow in Kabul; Thunderstorms Rattle New Delhi

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

March 7,2015; 10:20PM,EST

 

 

Afghanistan will begin to see more settled conditions on Sunday as Pakistan and India continue to be the target for potentially flooding rain and thunderstorms through Monday, along with heavy snow in the mountains.
While not as robust as recent storms, this ongoing storm will still prove to be impactful as it slowly tracks from west to east.
Rain and snow fell across northern Afghanistan on Saturday. Heavy snow was reported at times in Kabul. This will spread to the east, sparking additional rain and thunderstorms across northern Pakistan and India through the start of the coming week.

Rainfall totals will generally be on the order of 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 inches). With the ground already saturated from recent storms, flash flooding may ensue.
Islamabad, Pakistan, is among the communities at risk for flooding and endured deadly flooding earlier this week, stated AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Eric Leister.
"Islamabad has faced three serious flooding events since the middle of February, including two in the past week."
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"Heavy rain fell on Monday, triggering the latest round of flooding which claimed at least 25 lives, according to The Nation," Leister reported.
On Saturday rainfall in Islamabad was about 20 mm (0.79 of an inch) which brought the monthly rain total in the city to nearly 180 mm (about 7 inches).
In the neighboring Himalayas, "there will easily be 30 cm (a foot) of snow," stated AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Anthony Sagliani. That includes for the mountains surrounding Kabul, Afghanistan and into northern Pakistan. Additional snow will bring an elevated risk for avalanches.
The storm will otherwise be responsible for producing showers and thunderstorms across northern and central India (including around New Delhi).
The showers and thunderstorms will generally be spotty in nature, but a localized downpour leading to flash flooding issues and poor travel cannot be ruled out.
Rainfall is highly unusual in new Delhi this time of year with the city averaging only 16 mm (0.63 of an inch) of rain in March. So far this month the city received nearly 72 mm (2.83 inches) early this past week, along with about 8 mm (0.31 of an inch) on Saturday.
Contributions by Meteorologist Adam Douty