Warmer days ahead as sea breeze to Karachi suspends from Saturday

KARACHI: The Karachiites would have to brace for warmer days ahead due to stoppage of sea breeze from Saturday (today), the Pakistan Meteorological Department said, adding the temperature may rise above 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days because of developing low pressure areas in the upper Sindh and the Arabian sea.

“Temperature is expected to rise in Karachi from Saturday and it may exceed 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday and Sunday due to suspension of sea breeze towards Karachi”, Director Met Karachi Abdur Rashid told The News on Friday. He said a low pressure area has developed in upper Sindh is responsible for changing the wind direction in Karachi and added that a low pressure area is also developing in the Arabian sea, which has the potential to turn into a tropical cyclone.

Meanwhile, the Met experts in India, Middle East and Pakistan are closely watching the development of the tropical cyclone, which may cause devastation either in the Middle East from Yemen to Oman or in Pakistan’s coastal areas including Karachi, the officials warn.

The Director General Met, Dr. Ghulam Rasool, while ruling out any immediate threat of cyclone hitting Pakistan coastlnie, also said two tropical cyclones are brewing in the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal simultaneously but it would take at least a few more days to determine which of them could turn into a full-blown cyclone and which of them would dissipate. “There are rumours being spread in the social media that a cyclone has formed in the Arabian Sea which is not correct”, Dr. Ghulam Rasool told The News on Thursday. Dr. Ghulam Rasool maintained that October and November are the months for cyclone formation in the world especially in the South Asia including in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, while typhoons are also formed in the Pacific in the same period at the end of monsoon season. “The reason is that the land turns hot and cold very rapidly, while the sea temperatures take longer time to get warmer and to cool down. At this moment, many areas have cooled down but the seas and oceans are still warm and during these two months, there are more chances of cyclone in the Arabian Sea”, Dr. Ghulam Rasool added.

He said both the low pressure areas are gaining moisture at the moment but "ultimately only one of them would suck all the moisture from the other and convert into a tropical cyclone and added that by October 08, the Met officials would be in position to determine the track of the tropical cyclone." If at all a cyclone is formed in the Arabia sea, it would be named as ‘Loban’, the DG Met added. “So we want to tell the people that we are fully alert and keeping an eye over the geographical and climatic conditions. People should not pay heed to unverified news and reports on the social media. In case we have any alert, we would issue it to people through mainstream media and our website”, he said.