KARACHI: The port city’s weather is getting chillier with the mercury dropping lower and cold winds moving from the east on Tuesday.
The speed of winds, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), moving from the east towards Karachi is 10 kilometers per hour.
The city’s minimum temperature is expected to fluctuate between 13°C to 15°C, while the maximum will remain between 28°C to 30°C.
The Met Office said there is 50% humidity in Karachi’s air, while there was a chance of fog over the plains in the morning.
The weather, as per the Met Office, is likely to remain dry during the next 24 hours, but it will get cooler at night in the city, while Sindh will also experience a similar weather pattern.
Currently, the city’s air carries hazardous pollutants with the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels at 188 and is marked “unhealthy by IQAir, a Swiss company that determines the quality of air around the world using technology.”
The city stands at the fifth spot on the World AQI Ranking, while Lahore leads with the top spot.
“PM2.5 concentration in Karachi is currently 28.1 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value,” IQAir mentioned.
PM2.5 concentration is referred to as particle pollution from fine particulates which makes the air quality hazardous in the atmosphere.
In such an atmosphere, people are advised to avoid spending time outdoors and close their windows to avoid letting outdoor air enter their homes and other spaces. They must, in such instances, wear a mask when outdoors and run an air purifier at home.
A day earlier, Karachi was covered in smog as its air quality worsened with polluted particles in the atmosphere.
According to Owais Haider, a weather and climate expert, the port city’s air quality was “severely affected” following pollution in the air.
The city’s air was entrapped with hazardous levels of pollution, as recorded by the AQI, and was marked “unhealthy for sensitive groups”.
Haider said the city’s air quality was impacted due to light wind from the northeast, which has brought polluted particles into the air.
The weather was foggy due to high humidity and light air, he added.
“Fog combines with particulate matter to form smog,” the weather analyst said.
