Another heatwave to hit Karachi from Tuesday, warns Met Office

The temperature in Karachi dropped to 39 degrees Celsius on Saturday under the influence of high velocity winds from the westerly direction after Tropical Cyclone Mekunu battered the Salalah city of Oman, Pakistan Meteorological Department officials said.

However, they warned that another heatwave would be gripping the city from Tuesday, once again shooting the mercury to at least to 43 degrees Celsius.

“Climatic changes are happening very fast. We were not expecting back-to-back heatwaves gripping Karachi in quick succession. Unfortunately, Karachi is going to be gripped by another heatwave possibly from next Tuesday next,” Director Karachi Met Office Abdur Rashid told The News.

The Karachiites have already experienced three severe heatwaves since the end of March, which proved to be an unusually hotter month, while in April, Nawabshah established the record of the warmest town on the surface of the earth when mercury soared to 50.2 degrees Celsius, officials said, adding that due to climate change, many areas of the country were experiencing extreme weather conditions.

The ongoing week was the hottest period for the residents of Karachi when the temperature mostly remained between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius due to a change in the wind direction, as the formation of low pressure areas deprived the city of its cooling system, the sea breeze and winds from the north and north westerly directions, turning the city into a burning oven.

But Met department officials said the hard days were not over for the dwellers of Karachi as they were expecting another three-day heatwave from Tuesday although the temperature forecast for Monday was also very hot and dry because of suspension of sea breeze towards the coastal city.

“It should be kept in the mind that weather remains very hot during May 15 to June 15 in Karachi, but this year, discomfort level for the citizens is very high as we are fasting in this 30-days period. On the other hand, under the influence of rapid chances in the climatic conditions, we are also experiencing back-to-back heatwaves these days,” said the Karachi Met Office director.

On the other hand, weather pundits were also closely watching the changes in the temperature of the Arabian Sea as due to variations in the climatic conditions. Two back-to-back tropical cyclones have formed near Yemen and Oman coasts in the sea during last two weeks, which according to them, are unusual.

“Before the start of the monsoon season, the months of May and June are the days of cyclone formation in the Arabian Sea, while these cyclones are also formed in the post-monsoon season that can affect us,” Abdur Rashid said and added that the Pakistan Meteorological Department was keeping a close eye on the situation of the Arabian Sea for cyclones. He maintained that at the moment no cyclonic activity was visible near the Pakistani coasts, and Cyclone Mekunue was meeting its fate hundreds of kilometers away after battering a Yemeni Island, causing devastation in the Omani city of Salalah and now heading towards Saudi Arabia.