01 January 2005	Saturday	19 Ziqa'ad 1425

KARACHI, Dec 31: The mercury dropped and cold winds started to blow in the city, which received first winter showers on Thursday night. "However, the cold weather system, coming from Iran, that recently entered the city has exhausted itself and except for an occasional drizzle there will be no rains," a high-ranking official of the Pakistan Meteorological Department told Dawn on Friday evening.

"It snowed and rained throughout on Tuesday and Wednesday in Quatta Valley. Consequently, Karachi received cold north-westerly winds, which are known as Quetta winds in common parlance," he explained.

Chief Meteorologist Arif Mehmood said winter showers were a regular annual feature, and the city received rains almost always in December, January and February.

According to the Met Office, the city received over 4mm rain on Thursday night. The break-up of rain in various observatories of the PMD is: Karachi airport, 4.3 mm; PAF Masroor, 1mm; Faisal Base, 3mm and North Karachi, 1.4 mm.

The maximum and minimum temperatures on Thursday were 26 degrees Centigrade and 18°C, respectively. Humidity - or the amount of moisture in the air - stood at 38 per cent.