Cold wave hits Karachi after heavy rainfall

• Mercury in Karachi has gone down by 4°C: Sarfaraz.
• City likely to record maximum temperature of 22°C today. 
• Sarfaraz says lowest temperature was recorded in 1979.

KARACHI: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz on Saturday said cold and dry weather was likely to persist in Karachi till Monday (March 4).

Karachi witnessed heavy rainfall coupled with thunderstorms on Friday after which a cold wave hit the city, turning the weather chilly. 

II Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Sarjani Town, Malir, North Karachi, Korangi Industrial Area, Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Manghopir, Northern Bypass, and Sohrab Goth Town were some of the city's areas that received heavy rain.

The mercury in Karachi has gone down by 4°C, Sarfaraz said, adding that the metropolis recorded a minimum temperature of 14.5°C on Saturday (today).

“The city is likely to record a maximum temperature of 22°C today,” he said adding that the current cold wave was unusual as chilly weather did not usually last in March. 

He said the rains at that time of the year were also "unusual".

The chief meteorologist said the lowest temperature recorded in the megalopolis was on March 7, 8 and 9 in 1979 — 7°C.

Meanwhile, weather expert Jawad Memon said there was no chance of rain in Karachi as the westerly waves had departed. He said the sky would remain clear and dry with cold nights.

He said the wave of unseasonal cold in Karachi would be short-lived as the winds from Quetta would continue to blow for few days and might touch the speed of 30 to 40 kilometres an hour.

Memon said the private weather station of Clifton had recorded up to 50.4 millimetre rain, which has inundated much of the adjacent areas specially DHA Khyaban-e-Shehbaz, where rainwater has entered houses and the draining work could not be started as of yet.