KARACHI: The cold wave in Karachi is expected to last for another eight to 10 days, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said Saturday.
The city experienced its coldest night in the last 12 years when mercury dropped to 5.6°C on the night between Thursday and Friday. Sindh Chief Meteorological Officer Sardar Sarfraz said last time the mercury had dropped below 6 degrees Celsius in 2008 when 5.5 degrees was recorded in January.
The weather department said dry and cold weather is expected to prevail in the next 24 hours. Winds from the north are blowing at a speed of 9km per hour.
On Friday, the temperature dropped to 5.6°C, breaking the 10-year record for the lowest temperature in the city. According to the PMD, the lowest temperature in the city was recorded in the year 2014 when the temperature fell to 6.5°C.
A day earlier, the Met Office said the cold wave in Karachi might last till Sunday, which was earlier expected to end on Thursday. The temperature will hover between 7°C and 9°C in the coming days.
The Met Office has also forecasted the country’s first rain and snowfall for 2021 from Sunday (3rd January) to Tuesday (5th January). In a statement, the meteorological department informed that a strong westerly wave is likely to enter Pakistan on Sunday and likely to grip upper parts of the country on Monday.
The Met Office further informed that under this system, thunderstorms with snowfall over the hills are expected in Kashmir, Islamabad, Potohar region, Gujrat, Sialkot.
Thunderstorms with snowfall are also predicted in Narowal Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, and Kasur from Sunday (evening) to Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there may be rain with snowfall over the hills in Gilgit-Baltistan, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Kohat, Peshawar, Kurum, from Monday to Tuesday. Rain is also expected in Mianwali, Khushab, Jhang, Sahiwal, Okara, T. T Singh, Faisalabad, and Sargodha during the period.
