More rainfall expected in Karachi on April 17 and 18

New system expected to bring more rainfall, flash flood warnings issued for districts of Sindh and Balochistan

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast another spell of moderate to heavy rainfall in Karachi between April 17 and 18.

The met department said that another western disturbance would enter Balochistan on the night of April 16 due to which the port city could receive another spell of downpours.

“Rain-wind/thunderstorm is expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Larkana, Dadu, Qambar Shahdad Kot, Jamshoro, and Sanghar from April 17 (night) to April 19 (morning),” the PMD said.

Other cities that may receive heavy thundershowers include Shikarpur, Sukkur, Ghotki, Tando Allahyar, Mipurkhas, Thatta, Umerkot, and Badin districts.

Areas of Balochistan including Gwadar, Kech, Awaran and Chagai may also experience heavy rain due to the incoming system.

The PMD (PMD) warned that the new spell can potentially cause flash flooding across Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The residents of these districts are strongly advised to employ preventive measures and keep abreast of the latest weather forecasts issued by the authorities.

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Earlier, light to moderate showers accompanied by lightning and thunderstorms broke the heat spell in the metropolitan city on Sunday.

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.

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 the 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.