Snow, rain forecast across northern, central Iraq

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s General Authority for Meteorology and Seismology forecast partially cloudy to cloudy weather Wednesday in the central and northern regions, with snowfall expected in mountainous areas and scattered rain in several locations.

The authority said in a detailed report that “the weather will be partly cloudy to cloudy in the central and northern regions, and clear with some clouds in the southern region,” with chances of “light to moderate rain showers accompanied by thunder and lightning at times in the northern region and the eastern parts of the central region.”

It said light to moderate snowfall is expected “over the mountainous highlands, extending to some low-lying areas in Sulaymaniyah and north of Kirkuk,” while western parts of the country will see “light to moderate dust that will gradually dissipate.”

Temperatures are expected to drop by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius compared with Tuesday, the authority said, adding that conditions will be “cold during the day and very cold at night and in the morning.”

Northwesterly winds will be “light to moderate, ranging between 10 and 20 kilometers per hour, with some local activity,” according to the report. Visibility is expected to range between 8 and 10 kilometers, decreasing to 3 to 5 kilometers in areas affected by dust and rainfall.

Looking ahead, the authority said Thursday will be “partly cloudy with a chance of scattered light rain,” while Friday will be “generally clear, turning cloudy in the northern region during the afternoon.”

On Saturday, weather is forecast to be “cloudy in general with light rain in the northern region and snowfall over the mountainous highlands,” with temperatures remaining similar in the central and southern regions and rising slightly in the north.

For Sunday, the authority said conditions will remain “cloudy in general with light rain in the central and northern regions,” with a slight rise in temperatures expected in the central and southern regions.