Rain will begin in the early morning and will continue throughout Saturday, reports Indomet.

Santo Domingo — The Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet) reported that the approach of a trough associated with a frontal system will increase downpours over some provinces.

In that regard, Indomet predicted that these rains will be moderate to heavy with thunderstorms, gusts of wind, and even possible hailstorms, especially in municipalities and communities of Hato Mayor, Monte Plata, Sánchez Ramírez, Duarte, San José de Ocoa, Monseñor Nouel, La Vega, Santiago, Santiago Rodríguez, Dajabón, Elías Piña, San Juan, Puerto Plata, Espaillat, and Valverde, among others.

It is expected that by early Saturday morning, the approach of the trough will bring showers of varying intensity that will persist throughout the day along the Caribbean coast.

Indomet forecasts that these rains will intensify in the afternoon as moderate to heavy downpours with possible isolated hailstorms, thunderstorms, and gusts of wind over Greater Santo Domingo, Monte Plata, Sánchez Ramírez, Duarte, Monseñor Nouel, La Vega, Espaillat, Hermanas Mirabal, among other provinces of the Cibao, but especially towards the Central Mountain Range, the border area, and the southwest.

In this regard, the National Forecast Center of Indomet maintains the weather warning and alert levels for the risk of urban flooding, as well as rising rivers, streams, ravines, gusts of wind, frequent thunderstorms, possible landslides, and possible hailstorms, noting that these alerts could be modified during the next 24 to 72 hours due to the expected rainfall.

The following provinces are on alert: Monte Cristi, Monseñor Nouel, Bahoruco, Independencia, Monte Plata, San Juan, Dajabón, Puerto Plata, Elías Piña, and Santo Domingo; while La Vega, Santiago, and Santiago Rodríguez are on advisory.

As for temperatures, they will be high, especially in the afternoon, due to the warm, humid east/southeast wind flow. The heat index will be higher, particularly in urban areas. Therefore, Indomet recommends wearing light clothing, drinking plenty of fluids, and avoiding prolonged sun exposure.