TEHRAN -- Heavy rainfall and flash flooding struck western and southwestern Iran on Saturday, with meteorological authorities issuing red alerts for six provinces and Tehran’s crisis management organization warning of possible widespread flood damage in the capital.
The Meteorological Organization issued red alerts for northern and eastern Khuzestan, southern and eastern Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and parts of Kurdistan, warning of heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail, snow at high elevations and strong winds, with flooding, river overflow and relatively widespread waterlogging possible over the next 48 hours. 
The alerts were to remain in effect for Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad on Sunday. Conditions were also forecast for Qazvin, Alborz and Zanjan provinces, with waterlogging possible in vulnerable areas.
In Tehran, Ali Nasiri, head of the city’s crisis prevention and management organization, said the Meteorological Organization rarely issues red alerts for the capital and that the warning indicated possible flooding with extensive damage. 
He warned of overflowing rivers and seasonal watercourses, urban waterlogging and the risk of people being swept away near riverbanks, urging residents to avoid hiking, highlands, riverbeds and unnecessary car travel over the two days. 
Nasiri said Tehran has some 550 kilometers of drainage tunnels and channels, but bottlenecks remain vulnerable to backflow during intense rainfall, and that flood risk maps had been prepared and equipment deployed at identified danger points.
Tehran Governor Muhammad Sadeq Motamedian said northern districts including Shemiranat, Pardis, Damavand, Firuzkuh and Lavasanat faced red-level warnings, and that all agencies had been placed on 100 percent standby for 48 hours. 
He said the crisis management headquarters had been active for some 45 days and that rivers and canals had been dredged and cleaned in preparation.
The Red Crescent said it had received requests for assistance in Mazandaran, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces over the preceding 48 hours, with no reports of serious injuries or deaths. 
Spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi said 525 branches and 655 fixed and mobile bases were on standby, with 4,540 operational personnel ready daily, and urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to western provinces including Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Zanjan, Lorestan and Khuzestan until Monday.
In Tehran, emergency operations center head Pedram Qudjani said sensors monitoring water levels in the capital’s river valleys had been activated overnight, with fill levels at Darband at 7 percent, Darakeh at 5 percent, Vardavard at 1.5 percent, Bakri at 2 percent and Tajrish at 3 percent as of 7:30 am, describing conditions as normal. 
He said 28 millimeters of rain had been recorded in the urban area over 12 hours, with about 25 millimeters in the Soloqan area, and that the red alert would begin in the afternoon.
In Qazvin province, flooding was reported in the river passing through Haji Arab village in the south of Buin Zahra county following afternoon rains, with no damage reported so far.