KARACHI: Isolated heavy rainfalls expected in September can trigger flash flood in the hilly areas of Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as urban flooding in cities of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the likelihood remains low as per climatology of the forecast month, says the met department`s weather outlook for September.

According to the report, overall, a tendency for normal to above-normal precipitation is likely over the country during September. The rainfall is expected to be above normal over northeastern Punjab and Sindh.

`Northeast of Punjab and southeast of Sindh are likely to receive 20 to 30 per cent more rain than normal while the rest of country 10 to 15 per cent more than normal,` explained chief meteor-ologist Dr Sardar Sarfaraz.

`Sufficient water for irrigation and power sectors will be available during the forecast month. Rains during the month of September may have a good impact on the growth and vegetation of kharif crops,` it says.

There was no need for panic as the month of September had the least contribution in terms of precipitation in the monsoon period, he added.

According to him, the northeast parts of Punjab have so far remained safe in the monsoon while southeast areas of Sindh, particularly Badin, received heavy rainf all.

The report says that most parts of Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are expected to receive normal to slightly above normal rainfall whereas Gilgit-Baltistan and northern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may receive nearly normal rainfall during the forecast month.