No threat to Pakistan from Cyclone Luban, says PMD

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said on Monday the tropical Cyclone Luban that has formed in the southwest Arabian Sea would not cause any damage to Pakistan.

Cyclone Luban in Arabian Sea might impact Balochistan, Karachi: Met office

It said that the cyclone’s centre was currently 1,508 kilometres southwest of Karachi and 1,430 kilometers south of Gwadar and it was moving towards southern Oman and Yemen coasts.

“The cyclonic storm which has been named Luban is expected to convert into a severe tropical cyclone during the next 24 hours, but it would not affect Pakistani coasts as it is moving towards Omani and Yemeni coasts,” Karachi Met Director Abdur Rashid told The News.

PMD officials said their Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre at Karachi was regularly monitoring the intensity and track of this weather system, and no threat was expected from the tropical cyclone, storm surge, strong winds or heavy rainfall to any part of Pakistan’s coastline.

Rashid said it was the third tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea this year, and another tropical cyclone was also brewing in the Bay of Bengal, which could cause rains and damage to Indian states, but Pakistani coasts would remain unaffected.

He said October and November were months of cyclone formation in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, but there were little chances of more cyclones forming after the current cyclonic activity.

According to the PMD official, a little increase in the temperature in the coastal areas of Pakistan, including Karachi, was expected in the coming days due to change in the wind direction and the halt in the sea breeze towards Pakistani coasts. However, he added that there was no chance of any heat wave- like situation in the days to come.

The temperature remained 37.5 degrees Celsius in Karachi on Monday under the influence of a low pressure area formed over upper Sindh. The weather is likely to remain hot today, with the temperature ranging between 37 and 39 degrees Celsius.

“The weather in Karachi is likely to improve from Wednesday with the resumption of the sea breeze, and the temperature is likely to drop by two to three degrees Celsius in the latter half of the week,” Rashid said.