Extreme weather updates: Mercury to continue rising in Sindh, Balochistan

Northern Pakistan expected to receive first monsoon rains by late Sunday night

ISLAMABAD: Blistering temperatures will continue across parts of the country till Sunday night only to be broken when the first spell of monsoon showers hit the upper parts of the country.

Over the next 48 hours, temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 45-48 in the plains of the country. The areas expected to be affected are Balochistan, Sindh and some parts of Punjab.

Many cities like Karachi, however, are unlikely to receive the first spell of monsoon rain just yet.



Meteorologist Rashid Bilal told The Express Tribune that over the next two days large parts of the country will experience severe hot and dry weather. It is expected that the temperature in Islamabad will reach 40-41 degree Celsius in the next two days.

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However rains and thunderstorms are expected at isolated places in Zhob, Kalat, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur divisions after evening in the next 24 hours.

Next, monsoon rains are expected to start in Upper Punjab, Azad Jummu and Kashmir, Malakand Division from Monday onwards. This will also help to bring the mercury down in other parts of the country.

Abdul Rasheed , focal person Met office Karachi said that in the week to come there are no chances of rain in the region. He said this year Karachi and other parts of Sindh and Balochistan were forecasted to receive below normal monsoon rains.

After July 15 a new weather system is likely to develop which will eventually bring rainfall in Karachi, he said.

Read: Raining down: Extreme monsoon weather looms

Rasheed pointed out that over the last few days the temperature of Karachi had fallen to 33-35 degree Celsius. This is expected to continue for a week along with a windy and partly cloudy weather.

Earlier Met Office has predicted that this year Pakistan will receive normal monsoon. It is feared that the drought-stricken areas of Sindh and Balochistan will receive low rainfall which may aggravate the drought situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2015.