KARACHI: Pakistan Meteorological Department on Saturday cautioned that a heat wave is likely to grip the Karachi city during May 1st–3rd, ARY News reported.
Heat Wave Early Warning Centre of the PMD has informed the city authorities and the public that during the three days’ span maximum temperature in day would range between 40-42 Celsius. Winds flow will be from North/Northwest during day-times, the met office said.
The low pressure in the Arabian Sea hampers routine sea breeze to the city during the heat wave and hot and dry winds could blow from north and northwest, the heat wave warning centre said.
The temperatures from April 28-30 will be between 37-39 Celsius, the met department informed.
The weather warning has advised the authorities and all stakeholders to take precautionary measures.
The heatwave early warning centre at the Met Office started working from April 1st and will remain functional till October 21, an official said in an earlier statement.
Chief Meteorologist of PMD Abdul Rasheed said that these measures were adopted in 2016 to avert the crisis like situation once witnessed in the summer of 2015 in which many people lost their lives.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has issued a health advisory recently for safety of general public.
The health advisory issued by KMC’s Senior Director for Health Services Dr Birbal Genani asked people to drink more water in the current weather.
“Cover your head. Do not unnecessarily go out of your house between 11:00am and 3:00pm. Wear light dress,” said the health advisory.
In May last year, the spell of heatwave had left residents of Karachi utterly drained as the mercury touched 44 degree Celsius on the scale.
Heat Wave 2015
A severe heat wave with temperatures as high as 49 °C struck Pakistan’s southern parts in June 2015. It caused the deaths of about 2,000 people from dehydration and heat stroke, mostly in Sindh province and its capital city, Karachi. The heat wave also claimed the lives of zoo animals and countless agricultural livestock.
