What caused sudden thunderstorm in Karachi’s Saddar?

Karachi received heavy showers today (Monday) which were caused by a microburst, weather expert Jawad Memon told Geo News.

Strong winds suddenly started blowing from all directions in the city's Saddar area during the afternoon, said Memon, as rain lashed the area from a microburst.

A monsoon system has entered Sindh due to which Karachi has been receiving rain over the past couple of days. 

What is a microburst?

According to the US government weather website, a microburst is a downdraft (sinking air) in a thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale.

Some microbursts can pose a threat to life and property, but all microbursts pose a significant threat to aviation.

Although microbursts are not as widely recognised as tornadoes, they can cause comparable, and in some cases, worse damage than some tornadoes produce.

In fact, wind speeds as high as 150 mph are possible in extreme microburst cases.