Rains to return in April

ISLAMABAD (APP) - The ongoing rain spells of Spring season would continue in most parts of the country in the month of April with intervals, according to the weather experts.

Senior Meteorologist, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Farooq Dar said "keeping in view the prevailing regional and global weather conditions, it is expected that the ongoing rain spells would continue in the month of April too".

The senior meteorologist termed these rain-spells as quite unusual activity for which the reason is the prolonged warming in the Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures (El-Nino phenomena).

He said the present rain spell, started from Thursday in different parts of country, is the fourth rain-spell of this Spring season. This rain spell would continue till Saturday with chances of light rain on Sunday morning too, he added.

While another rain spell, he said, is expected in the first week of April which would also continue for few days, making the weather pleasant. The senior meteorologist said these spells carrying moderate
rains are not seemed to be dangerous for the Wheat or any other crop. However the hail storm, if occurs, may cause damage to the crops.

The met department has issued detailed advisory for the farmers to save crops through adopting precautionary measures, he said. About pollen count, he said the pollen count would be reduced during the rain spells and cloudy weather conditions in capital ,giving relief to the allergy patients.

The pollen count for the last 24 hours in Islamabad was 19,714 till 9:00 am on Thursday and it would reduce during rains. According to the weather report, scattered rain-thunder shower would continue in Islamabad, upper Punjab including Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad divisions from Friday to Sunday.

While scattered rain-thunder showers are expected in Balochistan on Friday. Widespread rain-thunder shower with isolated heavy falls is expected in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir on Friday and Saturday.

Isolated rain thunderstorm is also expected in south Punjab including Bahawalpur, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan upper Sindh including Sukkur and Larkana on Friday.

Rain-thunder showers in upper Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may be accompanied by isolated hailstorm.

During rains, there will be high risk of land sliding in the vulnerable areas of Malakand, Hazara division and Kashmir on Friday and Saturday.