Heat spell ‘to continue for three more days’

Met says temperature may set new records in interior Sindh and southern Punjab

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday said the current spell of ‘very hot and dry weather’ in the country would continue for three more days till Tuesday.

“The temperature may set new records by crossing 54° Celsius in rural Sindh and southern Punjab in June,” said PMD Director General Dr Ghulam Rasul, adding that the hot and dry weather would prevail in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Balochistan, Islamabad and northern areas.

Mercury in Islamabad may fluctuate between 42° Celsius to 44° Celsius today (Sunday), Rasul predicted.



Expecting the humidity level to increase in Karachi over the next few days, the DG advised the citizens to take extra-precautionary measures by avoiding the sun during peak hours.

However, Rasul also predicted rain and thunderstorm in Malakand, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during the next 48 hours.

“It is going to be a temporary or a short respite from the scorching heat as the mercury will further rise after the showers,” he said.



Meanwhile, very hot weather conditions are expected over plain areas of Punjab and K-P while hot and dry weather is likely to prevail over the remaining parts of the country.

According to the PMD statistics, heat in Pasni and Ormara had set new records last week.

In Pasni, the temperature shot up to 48° Celsius, breaking a 15-year record. The highest temperature recorded in the town was 47° Celsius on May 19, 2002.



Likewise, the mercury rose to 47° Celsius in Ormara, shattering the previous record of 44.1° Celsius on May 19, 2002.