Flooding rainfall to target northern India and Pakistan through Monday

By Eric Leister, Meteorologist

March 12,2016; 6:09PM,EST

 

 

Rounds of rain will continue to fall across northern Pakistan and far northwestern India through Monday, heightening the risk for flash flooding and mudslides.
The areas hardest hit will include Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan and Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in India.
On each Sunday and Monday, 25-75 mm (1-3 inches) of rain is expected to fall in isolated areas.
Nearly 100 mm (4 inches) of rain has already fallen around Islamabad on Friday and Saturday. In Khuzard in southern Pakistan, 73 mm (nearly 3 inches) of rain has already fallen since Tuesday.

Isolated storms may also develop around Karachi on Sunday, though this rain will be isolated with most of southern Pakistan remaining dry.
While the threat for rainfall will be minimal in southern Pakistan and Afghanistan on Sunday, these areas were already hit with deadly flooding last week. Daily Pakistan reports that 9 people have been killed and over 100 houses damaged in Baluchistan as a result of the rain.
Another storm approaching from the west will continue the threat for downpours and flooding in northern Pakistan, and northwestern India into Monday.
A third storm will then target areas from northern Afghanistan into northern India with additional heavy rainfall during the middle and end of the coming week. Rainfall from this storm, in addition to the previous storms, could lead to widespread flooding throughout the region.

Heavy rainfall triggers mudslides near Fujairah as this storm impacted U.A.E.

While flooding rain will threaten far northwestern India into the new week, more beneficial showers and thunderstorms will affect the rest of northern and eastern India.
The threat for showers and thunderstorms in New Delhi and Lucknow will remain high on Sunday before shifting further to the south and east early next week. Thunderstorms can produce downpours briefly slowing travel; however, no widespread flooding problems are expected.
Moisture from the Arabian Sea will be pulled northeast across India causing scattered showers and thunderstorms into early next week from Chhattisgarh north to Bihar and West Bengal. While rainfall is not expected every day in each location, there will be rainfall each day across central and northeastern India.
An isolated thunderstorm may develop around Hyderabad during the afternoon on Sunday, but rainfall in this area should not cause widespread problems.
Rainfall will generally be less than 12 mm (0.50 of an inch); however, localized amounts over 25 mm (1.00 inch) are possible.
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This rainfall will be largely beneficial following below normal totals during the 2015 monsoon season and a drier-than-normal winter.
"Winter wheat is heading toward maturation and harvest, so these rains should prove beneficial for immature crops," Accuweather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.
Around Kolkata, thunderstorms will be isolated, however the best chance for a storm will be from late Monday afternoon into Tuesday.
Rainfall is not common in Kolkata during the month of March with only two or three days of rainfall on average and normal rainfall of 33 mm (1.30 inches).