'No possibility' of rain in Karachi today

KARACHI: The Met Office has forecast that the weather in Karachi will likely remain hot and humid today (Wednesday) without the possibility of rain, shattering the hopes of residents for a sigh of relief after record high temperatures.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in a statement on Wednesday, predicted that the megalopolis will continue to bake.

However, the PMD also predicted "a possibility of a slight decrease in temperatures due to the restoration of sea breezes" in the provincial capital of Sindh.

According to the Met Office, the maximum temperature is expected to remain between 37°C to 39°C, with sea breezes blowing at a speed of 18 to 20 kilometres per hour in the port city.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature is expected to be recorded at 30.7°C.

The prediction by PMD comes after at least eight people died of intense heat in the port city earlier this week.

The Met Office also predicted that Karachi may experience rain after June 28.

Concrete jungle

The coastal city of Karachi has become a "concrete jungle" with many old trees being cut down lately to avoid "pollution" and develop estates, which has contributed to the rising temperatures and deaths from heatstroke.

The cool breeze under a tree, on a hot day, automatically cools the environment. Additionally, even if new trees are planted, they will not be as beneficial as trees that are 10 to 15 years old, most of which have been cut down.

This year, for the first time since 2015, the temperatures have touched 42°C in June in Karachi, a city which has rarely experienced such extreme temperatures.

Previously, when coastal winds used to get blocked due to low pressure winds in southern parts of Karachi, the city used to experience hot and dry winds blowing from northwest Balochistan.

These dry winds would not increase the heat index. However, these days, as the Arabian Sea experiences raised temperatures due to climate change and the global temperature has seen a 7.5-degree rise, the humidity levels in the winds increased by 7%.