Rain brings Karachiites much-needed respite from heatwave

After days of oppressive heat and humidity, residents of Karachi finally experienced much-needed respite on Thursday evening when various areas of the city received light rain accompanied by gusty winds. This change in weather brought a significant drop in the temperature, much to the relief of Karachiites.

The mercury soared to 41 degrees Celsius at around 2pm, coupled with over 50 percent humidity, but in the afternoon, strong, dust-raising winds swept across different parts of the city, followed by brief but heavy showers.

Areas including Malir, Gadap, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Karachi, Saddar, Super Highway and their surroundings recorded notable downpours. Dozens of people have so far died in Karachi, including at least 15 on Thursday, in different areas of the city due to heat stroke in the hot and humid weather as heat index sometimes remained above 55 degrees Celsius in the city, health and Met department officials said

The dark clouds and continuous rain not only lowered temperatures but also brought a sense of relief and joy to the heat-weary residents, making the weather pleasantly cool. However, the rainfall also led to power outages in some regions, disrupting daily routines and causing inconvenience to many.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had forecasted showers accompanied by thunderstorms for Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, a dust storm had already swept through parts of Karachi, exacerbating the sweltering and humid conditions.

Earlier in the week, the city experienced extreme heat, with a “feels like” temperature reaching 51°C at around 2pm on Monday. However, the Met Office predicted isolated heavy downpours and dust-thunderstorms for various parts of Sindh, including Karachi, starting Tuesday.

Chief Meteorologist Karachi Sardar Sarfaraz explained that a low-pressure system currently situated south of India’s Gujarat is influencing the weather. “Under this system, there is a likelihood of thunderstorms and rain in Karachi between June 26 and July 1,” he stated.

In addition to Karachi, the Meteorological Department noted that areas such as Mithi, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Tando Allahyar, Badin, Thatta, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Khairpur, and Dadu are also expected to experience strong winds, dust storms, and thunderstorms.

The PMD also confirmed that moist currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are penetrating the southern and eastern parts of Pakistan. These currents are expected to reach the upper parts of the country from Thursday, bringing thundershowers with gusty winds to Sindh and other provinces.

According to the PMD data, Surjani Town received the highest amount of 22mm of rain followed by 14mm of rain in North Karachi, Gulshan-e-Hadeed 10mm, Malir Halt 4.4mm, PAF Masroor 3.5mm, Orangi Town 2mm, Korangi 3.9mm Nazimabad 1.4mm while other areas of the city received traces of rain which could not be recorded in millimetres.