KARACHI: The harsh heatwave which killed more than 1,300 people in Karachi and other parts of Sindh over the past few days has ended, says a Met official.

He said on Sunday that there was no threat of another such gruelling heatwave in the country, including its largest city along the Arabian Sea, this summer.

He said that in line with the climate pattern of June, hot and dry weather was expected in most parts of the country over the next few days with maximum temperature in the range of 45 to 47 degrees Celsius in the plains of south Punjab, upper Sindh, Sibbi and Makran divisions.

In the forecast for Monday, he said that a season low lay over Balochistan and adjoining areas with its trough extending north-eastwards. He said that weak moist currents were reaching the central and eastern parts and a shallow westerly wave was expected to approach upper parts of the country.

The weather official, meanwhile, said that rain-thundershowers were expected in some places of Malakand, Hazara, Kohat and Peshawar divisions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; in Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore, Gujranwala divisions in Punjab; in Zhob division in Balochistan; and Islamabad, Fata, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Duststorm is also likely at some places in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Sahiwal and Faisalabad divisions.

He said that on Sunday the weather remained hot and dry in most parts of the country although rain/thundershowers were reported from some places in Faisalabad, Hazara, Kohat divisions, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Met official said that weather in Islamabad was expected to remain partly cloudy on Monday with chances of rain/thundershowers with maximum temperature expected to remain between 37 and 39 degrees Celsius.

He said the maximum temperature in Karachi on Sunday was 37 degrees Celsius and minimum 30 degrees with 65pc humidity. On Monday the weather in the city is expected to remain hot and humid with maximum temperature in the range of 36 and 38 degrees.

He said that on Monday the weather in Lahore was expected to remain partly cloudy with chances of rain / thundershowers with maximum temperature ranging between 39 and 41 degrees Celsius.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play