Karachi likely to experience heatwave from today

Met department has forecast a five-day warm spell

The city is likely to experience a five-day heatwave from today. According to the spokesperson of the Pakistan Meteorological department, Abdul Rashid, due to low pressure in the Arabian Sea off the Indian coast, the sea breeze along the Pakistani coastline will lessen.

He explained that in such conditions, temperatures in the Pakistani coastal areas, including Karachi, will gradually increase during the next four to five days, resulting in moderate heatwave conditions.

Daytime temperatures in Karachi may cross 40°Celsius on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Rashid, assuring that the Met department will keep the public and authorities informed three days before any heatwave hits the city.

Rashid also said that citizens should take necessary precautions to save themselves from the heat and avoid leaving their houses unnecessarily.



However, the Met department has stated that during the warm and dry weather, they do not expect to see people experiencing heatstrokes at all.

International weather forecasters and websites are predicting that while the mercury will touch 40°C, the ‘real feel’ will be more than 45°C.

In the summer of 2015, the city experienced a deadly heatwave which claimed the lives of over 1,300 people in a mere three days.

Environmentalist and ecologist Rafiul Haq explained the concept of ‘real feel’ by giving examples of unplanned high-rise buildings and continuously decreasing tree cover, which are causes for the temperature in some areas being felt higher than it actually is. He said trees help reduce the temperature, while high-rise buildings act as a barrier to proper air flow.

The Met department also predicted that due to the suspension of the North-Western sea winds, the weather might experience some effects, such as extremely warm climate, inconsistent humidity in the air and a surge in temperatures.