Light rain turns weather pleasant in Karachi

An unexpected spell of light rain in different areas of Karachi on Friday night turned the weather pleasant but also troubled people as it caused power outage in various localities and traffic jams due to accumulation of water on roads.

“It was development of Cumulonimbus clouds over Lasbela and its surrounding areas of Balochistan, which drifted towards Karachi, creating dust storm, lightning and light rain. It is over now after causing light rain in various areas of the city,” said Sardar Sarfraz of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

Weather remained warm and humid on Friday but it started improving in the evening when people observed an overcast sky and experienced a cool breeze blowing. As soon as the sun set, a mild dust storm followed by light rain hit the Surjani Town, Gadap, North Karachi and Sohrab Goth areas. Light rain also occurred in the North Nazimabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Sharea Faisal, Shah Faisal Colony and University Road, where it caused accumulation of water on roads.

A few minutes later, Cumulonimbus clouds covered the entire city and caused light rain in the Saddar, II Chundrigar Road and other areas. Commuters on Preedy Street and streets of Saddar suffered as the rain caused traffic congestion.

The rain excited the people of Karachi who had been enduring sweltering heat for some days. Many people shared their joy on social media platforms by uploading videos, pictures and messages about the rain.

PMD officials termed it a light spell of rain, saying that hardly 1.2 to 2.4 millimetres of rain was recorded from different areas of the city. The drizzle, however, turned the weather pleasant by dropping the temperature in the city.

“The temperature dropped to 28 degrees Celsius from 32 degrees Celsius following the rain and it is expected that Friday night would be very pleasant in Karachi. Weather would remain warm and humid with the maximum temperature ranging between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius on Saturday and Sunday,” Sarfraz said.

PMD officials explained that this unexpected spell of rain had nothing to do with the monsoon season, which is expected to start in the first or second week of July. They said the upper parts of the country were expected to receive slightly above normal rain; whereas, Sindh and Balochistan would have slightly below normal rain in the upcoming monsoon season that would start in July and end in September.

Meanwhile, the light rain did not prove to be a blessing for everyone as different areas of the city suffered power cut. Some areas were without power when this story was being filed. Officials of K-Electric said their teams were working for the restoration of power.