Met office predicts week-long rainfall, warns of urban flooding in Karachi

The Met Department has warned of urban flooding in major cities of Sindh, including Karachi and Hyderabad, due to a week-long spell of monsoon rains that will enter the province on Monday and last till Sunday.

According to Express News, the Met office stated that the province will experience intermittent rainfall with thunderstorms and strong winds from September 27 to October 2 which could result in loss of life and property.

According to the Met office, Mirpur Khas, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Thatta, Badin, Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matiari, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Kalat, Khuzdar and Lasbela will experience showers with strong winds and thunderstorms.

The Met Department issued its third alert for Cyclone 'Gulab' that has originated in the Bay of Bengal and moving westwards towards Karachi.

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Currently, the cyclone is 2,200 kilometres away from the port city. The cyclone is heading west at a speed of 180km/h and will hit coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, in India, on Sunday evening.

The storm poses no threat to the coastal areas of Pakistan, the Met Department said.

Earlier this week, moderate to heavy rains turned Karachi’s weather pleasant but commuters faced traffic congestion as many parts of the metropolis submerged in rainwater.

Rainwater inundated main arteries of the port city due to choked or clogged storm drains. As soon as the rain started, various neighbourhoods of the city reported power outages.