ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - After a week of heavy snowfall and torrential downpours, the Kurdistan Region’s directorate of meteorology announced that the current weather wave is expected to end Friday night, with stable conditions forecast to continue until January 9.
"Today, moderate rain will continue in the provinces of Sulaimani and Halabja, as well as the Raparin and Soran independent administrations. In other areas, light to moderate rain will fall intermittently,” the department said in a statement.
It added that snowfall will persist in border areas throughout the day, noting that "during the night hours, the weather will normalize, bringing an end to the wave of snow and rain."
As for Saturday, the department said that "there is a possibility of fog in some areas early in the morning. Generally, the sky will be partly cloudy."
For his part, Mohammed Kamal, a meteorology expert, told Rudaw on Friday that the weather pattern is nearing its end.
"It is predicted that this wave will conclude by midnight tonight and the weather will remain stable until the 9th of this month," he said, adding that "severe cold will persist until Monday, and temperatures will begin to rise starting Tuesday."
Authorities have advised residents, particularly in mountainous and border areas, to remain cautious as cold conditions continue despite the improvement in weather.
This current wave of rain and snow is the second of its kind this season in the Kurdistan Region.
Last month, the Kurdistan Region and parts of Iraq experienced three consecutive days of heavy rainfall, triggering severe flash floods. A report from the Kurdistan Region’s Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC) recorded five deaths, 19 injuries, and damage to 2,225 homes across the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk province.
Chamchamal district in western Sulaimani province was the hardest-hit area, with two fatalities and 12 injuries reported. According to the JCC, approximately 1,607 homes were damaged, 200 vehicles destroyed, 115 shops and workplaces affected, and 450 projects impacted.
However, water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams have increased by around 500 million cubic meters since early December, following successive waves of heavy rainfall, Rahman Khani, head of the Kurdistan Region’s Dams Department, told Rudaw on Thursday.
Khani said the Region’s three main strategic dams - Dukan, Darbandikhan, and Duhok - have all recorded significant increases in water levels, a development that could bring relief to water shortages across parts of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.