The Met Office has said that a weak westerly system is expected to move into the upper parts of the country from January 16 and may remain active until January 19. The system is likely to gain strength from January 20 and spread across most regions from January 21 onward.
Under its influence, rain and wind with thunderstorms and light to moderate snowfall are expected in Gilgit Baltistan including Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Guanche and Shigar.
Similar weather is forecast for Kashmir, covering Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh and Haveli, as well as upper areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa such as Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Kohistan, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur and Buner from the evening or night of January 16 to January 19, with breaks in between.
Light rain or snowfall is also likely in Murree, Galliyat and nearby areas from January 18 to 20. From January 20 to 23, widespread rain with wind and thunderstorms is expected in Gilgit Baltistan, Kashmir, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad and the Potohar region.
The system is also likely to affect districts in the Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sahiwal, Multan, Faisalabad, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur divisions, along with Peshawar, Hazara, Malakand, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions, with occasional gaps.
Heavy snowfall is forecast in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Kohistan, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Murree, Galliyat, Neelum Valley, Bagh, Haveli and Rawalakot from the night of January 20 to January 23.
Rain with wind and thunderstorms is also expected in parts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, Noshki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat, Barkhan, Sibi, Loralai, Musakhel, Turbat, Gwadar, Jiwani, Lasbela, Kech, Awaran, Chaghi, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Washuk and Kharan on January 21 and 22.
In Sindh, areas such as Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jacobabad, Naushero Feroz, Kashmore, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Ghotki may receive rain on January 22 and 23.
Moderate to heavy snowfall is also expected in Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, Noshki, Harnai and Zhob during this period.