Karachi weather update: Mercury may drop to 6°C

KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Saturday forecast that another cold wave is likely to grip Sindh, including Karachi, from tomorrow (Sunday), with the temperature expected to drop to 6-8 °C in the metropolis.

In a statement, the PMD said that the minimum temperature may drop to 2-4 °C in Sukkur, Ghotki, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Jamshoro, Dadu, Khairpur, Tharparker, Umerkot, districts.

Mercury is likely to drop to 3-5 °C in Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Sanghar, Matiari, Mirpur Khas, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and 6-8 °C in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sujawal and Badin districts, it added.

In its daily weather report, the Met Office said that a westerly wave is affecting upper parts of the country and is likely to continue over upper parts during the next few days.

Cold and dry weather is expected in most plain areas of the country, however, rain-thunderstorm with snow over hills is expected in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan (GB), said the PMD.

During the past 24 hours, the minimum and maximum temperatures recorded in Karachi were 10-12 °C Centigrade, Hyderabad 10-12 °C, Sukkur 5-7°C, Thatta 8-10 °C and 5-7°C,  Dadu 6-8°C, Mitthi 6-8 degrees Centigrade, and Nawabshah 6-8 °C.

'Snowfall likely to hit upper parts'

In its earlier report, the PMD forecast that rainfall with snowfall is likely to hit the upper parts of the country in the days to come.

The Met Office said that a westerly wave, affecting North Balochistan, will likely grip the upper parts from January 20 and may persist till Wednesday (Jan 25) with occasional gaps.

The weather office further said that light to moderate rain-wind with snowfall over the hills (isolated hailstorm) is expected in Kashmir, Gilgit- Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Pothohar region, Kohistan, Swat, Dir, Chitral, Manshera, Haripur, Abbottabad, Karak, Charsada, Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi, Buner, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan, Kohat, Bannu, Sargodha, Mianwali, Khushab, Bhakkar, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib from January 21-24 with occasional gaps.

Rain-wind (moderate to isolated heavy snowfall) is expected in Kashmir (Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur), Murree, Galiyat, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Malakand, Kohistan, Mansehra and Abbottabad from January 23-25.

— Additional input from APP