A heatwave is likely to hit Karachi this week from Wednesday to Friday. The temperature in the port city is expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius these days, with dry and hot winds taking over the city.
Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said that dry and hot winds will blow in the city from the northwest during the day. The sea breeze will meanwhile resume in the evening. The weather department instructs people to stay indoors as much as possible in this heatwave.
The elderly, children and the sick are at high risk of heat stroke. NDMA and provincial authorities have issued a warning.
Karachi City to receive higher-than-expected rainfalls this monsoon. Hence, city administration is being warned to prepare timely to avoid uncontrollable damage in the city. PDMA intimated the city administrations and institutions regarding the expected weather in the city.
Monsoon rains are expected to happen in the city in July and August. There are likely chances of a 100% increase in rainfalls. Sindh Disaster Management Authority warned KMC, District Commissioners, KDA, and other relevant authorities regarding the possible situation in the city.
Read more: Karachi expected to receive higher monsoon rains this season
PDMA DG Salman Shah stressed the need for the preparedness of the city to tackle the possible situation, emergency planning needs to be in place. In case of unpreparedness, the city might face uncontrollable damage.
“100% more rains are expected from July to August this year,” Salman Shah said. “There are a total of 198 slope areas in Karachi out of which 29 are sensitive,” PDMA said. “Prepare emergency plans for KMC, KDA, TMSE, and others,” the Karachi Commissioner said.
Karachi usually gets monsoon rains from June to September. It doesn’t rain much on average, only about 175 millimeters a year. That’s about the height of a soda can! But in 1967, it rained a whole lot more – over 700 millimeters, which is taller than two basketballs stacked together! The rainiest single day ever in Karachi was in August 2020, when it poured almost 230 millimeters of rain. There have also been years with more rain than usual, like 2003, 2006, and a bunch of others.