Showers forecast for Nepal

As the massive search and rescue operation continues across Nepal, we can only hope that the weather does not exacerbate the conditions in the quake zone. Thunderstorms are likely over the next few days.

Heavy showers are expected in the region for much of this week, and there have already been some sharp downpours ahead of the earthquake.

The heaviest rain has been to the south of Kathmandu with 36mm of rain falling in Simara in the 24 hours up to 0300GMT. Meanwhile, Bhairawa Airport reported 44mm over the same period.

The north of the country has had a scattering of snow flurries over the higher ground and more snow showers are likely to graze the far north of the country over the next few hours.

Thunderstorms remain the forecast Monday right through to Friday. Saturday is likely to be the first totally dry day for many. When those storms do set in, they may well be heavy, especially on Monday and Tuesday.

Suffice to say, any unstable surfaces may become more so with some areas likely to get around 30 to 40mm of rain.

It will come as no surprise that there are no weather reports coming out of the country at the moment. Eerily, the last observation out of Kathmandu was at 0300GMT on Saturday.