Karachi: Met Office downgrades its early heatwave alert

KARACHI: Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Heatwave Early Warning Centre on Saturday downgraded the heatwave alert “as mild heatwave” with hot and humid weather likely to prevail, ARY News reported.

The Met Office in its fresh announcement said that maximum temperature may range in 38-40ºC on 25-26th May 2019 and it will further drop to 37-39ºC on 27th May 2019.

The weather department in a warning earlier on Thursday had said that the heatwave will likely to grip Karachi city and surrounding areas from May 25 to 27. It had warned that the day temperatures would rise to 39-41ºC during this period.

According to the weather forecast, wind will be mostly from southwesterly to westerly direction during day time.

Earlier, the Heatwave Early Warning Centre had said that the weather will remain hot and humid, and the wind direction will change from west and southwest to west and northwest.

The met office had advised the authorities and all stakeholders to take necessary precaution.

In an earlier heatwave from May 1st–3rd the maximum temperature in Karachi soared up to 42°C.

Emergency was declared in hospitals besides establishment of heatstroke centres in the city following the announcement about the extreme hot weather.

The low pressure in the Arabian Sea hampers routine sea breeze to the city during the spell of heat wave and hot and dry winds could blow from north and northwest, the heat wave warning centre said.