Every cloud has a silver lining: city spared heavy downpour

Karachi escaped the worst of the season's second monsoon spell on Saturday as only light to moderate rain lashed parts of the city's outskirts, while the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) ruled out any threat of heavy downpours under the current weather system. Forecasters, however, expect cloudy skies and intermittent rain accompanied by thunderstorms to persist through Sunday and Monday.

According to the PMD, Surjani Town received the highest rainfall in the city with 4mm, followed by 3.4mm in Gulshan-e-Maymar, 2.3mm at PAF Base Masroor, and 1.5mm in Gulshan-e-Hadeed.

PMD Deputy Director and spokesperson Anjum Nazir Zaigham said the ongoing monsoon system is not expected to trigger heavy rainfall in Karachi, although light to moderate showers with thunder are likely over the next two days.

The department's early warning centre said the low-pressure system has weakened from a depression into a low-pressure area and is currently positioned over southeastern Rajasthan, India. Moist monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal continue to affect Pakistan's upper and central regions, while a western weather system is also influencing the northern parts of the country and is expected to intensify.

The PMD warned that several districts of rural Sindh could experience thunderstorms, gusty winds and heavy rainfall, with the possibility of urban flooding in some areas.

Karachi remained humid on Saturday morning before low-level clouds blanketed the city later in the day. The maximum temperature was recorded at 35.8 degrees Celsius, while humidity stood at 72 per cent.