Mercury drops below 10°C for second time as cold weather grips Karachi

KARACHI, PESHAWAR: Karachiites continue to experience cold weather with the city's temperature dropping below the 10 degrees Celsius mark for a second time in the ongoing month.

The temperature in the country's financial hub was recorded at 9.5°C along with 41% humidity level and eight kilometres per hour winds from the northwest.

Previously, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had recorded the minimum temperature at the Jinnah Terminal at 9.1°C.

Earlier this week, the Met Office had forecast intermittent strong winds in the city, with a drop of 3°C to 4°C at night in southeastern Sindh.

It also said that the temperature in the upper and central parts of the province was likely to remain 3°C to 5°C lower than normal.

However, the country's financial hub is not the only city experiencing cold weather, as the temperature has also went down in different areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In Balochistan's capital Quetta, the minimum temperature was recorded at -4°C. Other cities in the province with low mercury include Kalat (-5°C), Nokundi (1°C), Sibi (3°C), Gwadar and Jiwani (8°C) and Turbat (9°C).

Meanwhile, in KP, with partially cloudy weather and humidity levels of 92%, the minimum temperature recorded in Peshawar was 1°C.

Poor air quality

The prevailing cold wave is also coupled with poor air quality index (AQI) in Karachi and Lahore — the country's largest cities respectively.

 Lahore, which has been battling severe smog for several weeks now, emerged as the second most polluted city in the world with Swiss air quality monitor IQAir showing the city's AQI at "hazardous" 303.

The Punjab's capital was only topped by India's New Delhi whose AQI was recorded at 790 at around 9:50am.

Karachi on the other hand was ranked as the sixth most polluted city with an AQI of 199 — which is termed "unhealthy" by the Swiss monitor.