Meteorological agency issues orange warning for heavy rain across 18 provinces

What happened: The national meteorological agency issued an orange warning as it forecast intensified rainfall affecting 18 provinces. Attribution and details: Reported by IRIB. Today, Friday: the agency warned of heavy showers, lightning and temporary strong winds in West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Kurdistan, the highlands of Zanjan, Qazvin, Alborz, Tehran, Gilan, Mazandaran and parts of Fars, Hormozgan, Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan, saying these could lead to floods, river overflows, urban waterlogging and damage to agriculture. Tomorrow, Saturday: similar conditions are predicted for those 14 provinces plus Golestan, Lorestan, Khuzestan and Isfahan. Safety advice: People in the affected provinces were urged to avoid travel near riverbanks, riverbeds and drainage channels.