Light to moderate rain likely in Karachi on Thursday and Friday

Karachi may receive light to moderate rain following a dust and thunderstorm from Thursday evening to Friday night under the influence of a pre-monsoon system, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said on Monday, adding that several other districts of Sindh would also receive moderate to heavy rains with some heavy falls from Wednesday to Saturday.

“Moist currents from the North Arabian Sea are likely to penetrate in Sindh from June 16 and cause rains in several districts of Sindh, including Karachi. This is a pre-monsoon system that would result in light to moderate rain in Karachi from June 17 and 18, while moderate to heavy rains are expected in different cities and districts of the province from June 16 to 19, 2021,” said Sardar Sarfraz, the Karachi Met director, while talking to The News.

According to an official weather advisory issued by the PMD, under the influence of the first rainy spell expected in most parts of Sindh, dust/thunderstorm with rain is expected at scattered places in Sukkur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Ghotki districts on June 16-17.

Similarly, the advisory said, dust/thunderstorm with rain with few moderate to heavy falls, especially in Dadu, Sukkur and Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Hyderabad Mirpurkhas, Umarkot, Thar, Badin and Thatta districts) is expected in all districts of Sindh during 17-19 June.

“Karachi may also receive moderate dust/thunderstorm rain on 17-18 June,” the weather advisory added. PMD officials said the pre-monsoon system was likely to subside the hot spell in central and upper Sindh, while low lying areas in Badin, Thatta, Hyderabad, Umarkot, Thar, Dadu, Sukkur and Larkana districts may face water logging/inundation at times due to occasional heavy showers. “Loosely-structured huts and billboards may experience damage due to dust/wind-storm,” PMD officials warned.

Above-normal rains

The eastern half of the country, including Sindh and South Punjab, are likely to receive above normal rainfall during the upcoming monsoon season, which is likely to commence in the last week of June as against the second week of July, another official of the PMD said.

The Met department official said that last year, the eastern half of the country received more rains as around 50 per cent of rain-causing systems headed towards Sindh. He added that an actual prediction of the expected rainfall could take a couple of more weeks.

“But as per the initial assessment, upper areas of the country are likely to get slightly below rainfall, while Sindh and southern Punjab are likely to get slightly above rainfall,” the PMD official said, quoting the weather outlook for the monsoon in Pakistan.