Cyclone Hikka develops in Northeast Arabian Sea near Karachi

KARACHI: A Deep Depression in the eastcentral and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea has finally changed a cyclone on Monday, weather reports said.

Yesterday, the Tropical Cyclone Warning Center of the Met Department had informed that the low pressure Area over eastcentral and adjoining Northeast Arabian Sea has intensified into a Depression and lay centred around Latitude 19.8°N and longitude 69.4°E, about 610 km Southeast of Karachi.

The met office had predicted that the cyclone will move westward to Oman coast and none of Pakistan coastal area was under any threat from this cyclonic system.

The weather department had advised the fishermen of Sindh not to venture into deep sea during the next few days.

This Cyclone has been named Hikka by the Maldives.

According to fresh weather reports, Cyclone Hikka at present is 500 km from Pakistan’s coast and 400 km away from Gujarat coast of India. The cyclone is currently moving west-northwestward at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour (kmph) packing wind speed of 90 kmph.

Hikka is likely to hit in the next 48 hours to the Oman coast, south of Masirah, close to Duqm, which is a port and a refinery.

Heat Wave Warning

A moderate heat wave condition is likely to continue till Tuesday (tomorrow) in Karachi and southern parts of Sindh. Maximum temperature is likely to remain 37 – 39ºC during the period, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in a weather advisory.

The wind direction in the city is likely to blow from East/Southeast direction, the met office said.

Hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, rains/wind-thunderstorm is expected at isolated places in Mirpur Khas, Gujranwala divisions, Kashmir and its adjoining hilly areas, according to the weather report.