Rain brings down mercury by 7.5 degrees

Weatherman forecasts cloudy weather for today with chances of light rain and drizzle in some areas

KARACHI:

Light to moderate showers accompanied by lightning and thunderstorm broke the heat spell in the metropolitan city on Sunday with the weatherman forecasting possible drizzle in some parts of the megalopolis on Monday.

The rain continued intermittently throughout the day until the evening, with Surjani Town recording the highest rainfall of 29mm. The city's maximum temperature plummeted by 7.5 degrees Celsius compared to the previous day.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), another westerly system is poised to enter the country via Balochistan between April 17 and 18, which may dump more rain on rural Sindh districts and Karachi.

Sunday's rains were caused by a westerly system that entered Balochistan and Sindh from upper region. Light rain started in some areas, including Gadap Town, Malir, Superhighway, Surjani Town, Steel Town, and Gulshan-e-Hadid suburbs, on Sunday morning and persisted throughout the day.

Gradually it also started to rain in almost entire metropolis. North Karachi, Old Airport, Nazimabad, Saddar, Clifton, DHA, Keamari, Tariq Road, Bahadurabad, Purani Sabzi Mandi, Jail Road, Old City Area, Garden East and West, Soldier Bazaar, and Ramswami experienced light rain and drizzle.

Moderate winds accompanied the showers, with thunder and lightning reported in various areas. The PMD recorded the highest rainfall (29mm) in Surjani, followed by Nazimabad with 21.2mm, and Gulshan-e-Hadid 20mm, Sharae Faisal and Keamari 19mm each, PAF Base Masroor 18mm, Korangi 17mm, University Road 15.7mm, Saadi Town and North Karachi 15mm each, Orangi Town 14.4mm, Saddar 13mm, Malir 12mm, DHA 5.5mm, and Quaidabad 5mm.

A rain emergency was imposed in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on the instructions of Town Chairman Dr Fawad Ahmed. Town officers were present on the streets throughout the day, and continued to monitor the drainage work.

According to the PMD forecast, another westerly system entering the country via Balochistan on April 17 and 18, bringing rain to rural Sindh districts and Karachi. Presently, western winds are exerting influence across the entire country.

Today (Monday), the city is expected to remain cloudy with a possibility of rain and drizzle in some areas. However, weather conditions are likely to revert to hot and humid from Tuesday onwards. The city's maximum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 25.1 degrees Celsius, marking a significant drop of 7.5 degrees from the previous day.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2024.