ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Saturday that temperatures in the country's southern Sindh province could drop to as low as 6°C as a "cold wave" is expected to grip the area from Sunday, where the average temperature in January usually revolves around 25°C.
The country's weather service said last week Karachi, Sindh's provincial capital, experienced its "coldest day of the season" when the city's temperature dropped to 6 °C on Sunday. January is generally cool and dry for the metropolis, with the city experiencing an average high temperature of 25 °C and low temperature of around 12°C, according to Weather Atlas, a weather forecast website.
“Another cold wave is likely to grip Sindh province tomorrow [Sunday],” the PMD said in a statement. “Minimum temperatures may drop to 6-8°C in Karachi, Hyderabad, Badin, Thatta, and Sujawal districts.”
In its forecast for Karachi, the PMD said the city would likely experience "cold and dry” weather over the next two days, with the temperature expected to remain in the 7°C to 9°C range on Monday.
It added that the minimum temperature may drop to 2-4°C in Sukkur, Ghotki, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Jamshoro, Dadu, Khairpur, Tharparker, and Umerkot districts of the southern province.
“[Temperatures will drop to] 3 to 5°C in Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Sanghar, Matiari, Mirpur Khas, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar,” the weather service added.
Weather analyst Jawad Memon, who is the founder of the “Weather Updates PK" page on Facebook, also said Karachi would likely witness a “severe cold” in the coming week.
“A severe cold wave will likely hit Karachi, beginning on January 23 and expected to continue till Jan 29,” Memon told Arab News.
He said that a western disturbance in the northern areas would remain in the country from January 24 to January 26, meanwhile, cold winds from Siberia, Afghanistan, and Iran would start entering Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, resulting in “severe cold weather” across the country, including Karachi.
“Both record-breaking and record-matching events are possible during this time, as a cold wave would be experienced across the country, from Karachi to Kashmir, and will continue for at least a week," he said.
The weather analyst further said the minimum temperature in Karachi’s northern parts and outskirts could drop to as low as 2°C to 4°C, and in central areas, it could drop to 4°C to 6°C.
“The southern areas of Karachi may experience 7°C to 9°C degrees, especially between January 25 to 27 when the cold wave will be at its peak intensity,” he told Arab News.
“In between January 28 to 29, another western disturbance will move towards Pakistan, after which the cold wave would lose its intensity,” he said.
Karachi, which is the world’s thirteenth-largest city, is considered one of the planet’s climate hotspots, according to the World Bank.
