Karachi sizzles as mercury climbs to 40˚C

• Mercury climbs to 40˚C in Karachi.
• With current humidity level at 34%, the temperature in the city feels like 45˚C, says the met office.
• Rapid melting of glaciers, amid extremely hot weather conditions, can lead to flooding in northern region, warns PMD.

KARACHI: The port city continued to experience an intense wave of heat, with the mercury hitting the 40˚C mark on Saturday, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

With current humidity at 34%, the temperature in the city feels like 45˚C, the Met office said. 

The PMD noted that today and tomorrow could be the hottest days of the ongoing spell of the heatwave, as the wind speed recorded in Karachi and other cities of the province was 18 kilometres, per hour. 

Rapid melting of glaciers, amid the extremely hot weather conditions, can lead to flooding in the northern region, warned the Met office. 

In view of the current situation, Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman directed NDMA and PDMA to take measures to deal with the expected threat of flooding.

Meanwhile, another rain-bearing westerly system is expected to enter the Western areas of the country from tomorrow. The new westerly system is expected to prevail in the country till May 5.

Karachi endures hottest night in April since 2010

As the extreme heatwave has gripped Karachi, the metropolis on Friday night recorded the highest temperature at night in April since 2010, said PMD.

According to the Met Office, the minimum temperature recorded in the metropolis yesterday night was 28.5°C. The city last recorded 28°C on April 28, 2010.

In its daily weather forecast, the PMD warned that the whole country, particularly plain areas are under the grip of heatwave conditions. The Met office advised the people to take precautionary measures to protect themselves from the heatwave.

Dust-thunderstorm/rain predicted during Eid holidays

The Met department predicted that the heatwave conditions are likely to subside during the Eid holidays, adding that a westerly wave is likely to enter the western part of the country from May 1 and likely to persist till May 5.

Under the influence of this weather system, dust storm is expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas, Thatta and Badin on May 1-2.

The windstorm may cause damages to vulnerable structures in Balochistan, Sindh on May 1-2, warned the Met office.