Kurdistan
A man walking under the first rain of the season in the Kurdistan Region's capital city Erbil on November 15 2025. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Flood warnings have been issued in the Kurdistan Region as several days of heavy rain are expected, starting Sunday.
“On Sunday December 7, rainfall will begin moving in from the east. The directorate forecasts that on the first day, the heaviest rainfall will occur in the Soran administration [of Erbil province], reaching between 20 and 30 millimeters,” said the Kurdistan Region’s General Directorate of Meteorology and Seismology.
The rain is coming in on two low-pressure systems.
“From midday Tuesday until late Tuesday night into Wednesday, there will be heavy and continuous rain, and there is a flood risk in various areas of Sulaimani, Halabja, and Garmiyan,” the directorate said.
Garmiyan is forecast to receive as much as 50 millimeters of rain, Sulaimani 40 millimeters, and Kirkuk 35 millimeters.
Temperatures will also drop.
“Temperatures in city centers will drop by five to eight degrees, and in mountainous areas by five to 12 degrees. In high-altitude mountain regions above 2,500 meters, snowfall is expected,” the directorate said.
Iraq is experiencing its worst drought in nearly a century. Water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams are below 30 percent. Declining rainfall and upstream dams in Turkey and Iran are among the causes of the shortage.
The situation has caused drought conditions in areas such as Sulaimani and Duhok, prompting some residents to leave water-scarce villages. The government is implementing emergency projects in Erbil and Sulaimani to ease shortages and improve access to potable water.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is also working on six new dam projects - Dwin and Bani Talaban in Erbil, Zalan and Chaq-Chaq in Sulaimani, and Bawenur and Khornawazan in Garmiyan - with a combined storage capacity of 180 million cubic meters.
Rainfall is expected to last into Thursday.
“On Sunday December 7, rainfall will begin moving in from the east. The directorate forecasts that on the first day, the heaviest rainfall will occur in the Soran administration [of Erbil province], reaching between 20 and 30 millimeters,” said the Kurdistan Region’s General Directorate of Meteorology and Seismology.
The rain is coming in on two low-pressure systems.
“From midday Tuesday until late Tuesday night into Wednesday, there will be heavy and continuous rain, and there is a flood risk in various areas of Sulaimani, Halabja, and Garmiyan,” the directorate said.
Garmiyan is forecast to receive as much as 50 millimeters of rain, Sulaimani 40 millimeters, and Kirkuk 35 millimeters.
Temperatures will also drop.
“Temperatures in city centers will drop by five to eight degrees, and in mountainous areas by five to 12 degrees. In high-altitude mountain regions above 2,500 meters, snowfall is expected,” the directorate said.
Iraq is experiencing its worst drought in nearly a century. Water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams are below 30 percent. Declining rainfall and upstream dams in Turkey and Iran are among the causes of the shortage.
The situation has caused drought conditions in areas such as Sulaimani and Duhok, prompting some residents to leave water-scarce villages. The government is implementing emergency projects in Erbil and Sulaimani to ease shortages and improve access to potable water.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is also working on six new dam projects - Dwin and Bani Talaban in Erbil, Zalan and Chaq-Chaq in Sulaimani, and Bawenur and Khornawazan in Garmiyan - with a combined storage capacity of 180 million cubic meters.
Rainfall is expected to last into Thursday.
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