Rain continued in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Saturday, lowering the temperature to 18 degrees Celsius, while farmers in parts of the Potohar region voiced concern over possible damage to standing wheat crops close to harvest.

According to the Met Office, the rain began at 8:30am and continued until evening with intermittent breaks. Weather conditions remained mixed through the day, with sunshine appearing briefly between clouds. The department forecast cloudy weather for Sunday.

The Met Office recorded 39 millimetres of rain at Saidpur Village, 35mm at Zero Point, 18mm at Golra, 13mm at Bokra and 9mm at Islamabad International Airport. In Rawalpindi, it recorded 29mm at Shamsabad, 19mm each at Chaklala and Kattarian, 16mm each at Pirwidhai and Gawalmandi, and 13mm at Kutchery. Murree received 37mm of rain.

An official said a strong westerly wave was affecting most upper parts of the country and was likely to continue until Sunday. "Dry weather is expected in most parts of the country while partly cloudy in upper parts. However, rain-wind/thunderstorms is expected at isolated places in north/west Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and adjoining hilly areas during afternoon/evening," he said, adding that heavy rainfall could trigger landslides and flash floods in Kashmir, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Murree-Galiyat.

The official also warned that windstorms, hailstorms and lightning could damage weak structures, including electric poles, billboards and solar panels, during the forecast period. He further said hailstorms and windstorms might affect standing crops in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Leh Nullah monitored, emergency services on alert

A Water and Sanitation Agency spokesman said Leh Nullah rose to six feet at Kattarian and five feet at Gawalmandi, but the situation remained manageable.

In Murree, Rescue 1122 placed all water rescue emergency resources on high alert because of adverse weather, rain, strong winds and the possibility of landslides. A spokesman said fire rescue, medical emergency, rescue and recovery teams had been fully mobilised for immediate response. He said ambulances, rescue vehicles and water rescue boats were ready for possible emergencies in Murree, Gulyat and nearby areas.

He added that emergency response time had been improved by ensuring staff presence at all stations, and said all relevant units would be mobilised immediately in the event of accidents, road blockages or landslides caused by bad weather. The Murree district administration urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel during severe weather and to stay away from mountainous and dangerous locations.

Farmers fear damage in Potohar region

Meanwhile, repeated rain and hailstorms caused concern among farmers who said crops nearing harvest could suffer losses. Over the last 36 hours, heavy rain was reported in parts of the Potohar region, including Jhelum, Gujar Khan and Kallar Syedan.

Intermittent hailstorms were also reported in some areas of Jhelum, Sohawa, Pind Dadan Khan, Daultala and Kallar Syedan, affecting standing wheat fields. Chaudhry Abrar Rasheed, a farmer in Jatli, said heavy rain caused waterlogging around the roots and led crops to fall over, while humidity could blacken the grain because of fungal growth.

Source - https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk