KARACHI: As the continental heatwave enveloped the metropolis on Saturday, the mercury on the scale climbed by 3.5 degrees Celsius against Friday’s 38.5 degrees, touching 42 degrees Celsius.

Coupled with the heatwave, relentless power cuts and water shortage in many areas made life miserable for denizens of Karachi.

The current heat spell, according to the Meteorological department, is expected to continue for the next five to six days.

A heat alert issued by the Met department on Saturday morning said that hot to very hot weather was likely to prevail in Karachi during the next five to six days and the maximum temperature was expected to remain in the range of 40 to 43 degrees during the period. Sea breeze was likely to remain cut off and wind from the northwest was expected to prevail during this period, the alert said.

Owing to the extreme heat conditions, streets and bazaars presented a deserted look with thin traffic on the roads. People have been advised to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary exposure to the direct sun, wear loose and light-coloured clothes.

Responding to Dawn’s queries, a Met official said that the maximum temperature recorded in the city on Saturday was 42 degrees Celsius and the minimum 29.5 degrees. Humidity — the amount of moisture in the atmosphere — in the morning was 50 per cent and in the evening it was 40pc.

He said the weather in the city on Sunday was expected to remain hot and dry and the maximum temperature was expected to range from 40 to 42 degrees Celsius.

He said the weather in the rest of the province remained mostly hot and dry on Saturday and the hottest place in the province was the Thar desert town of Mithi, where the mercury touched the mark of 45.2 degrees Celsius.

He said that many towns in the province experienced hot weather and the mercury there touched, or even crossed, the mark of 40 degrees Celsius.

Some of the towns where the mercury crossed the mark of 40 degrees Celsius were: Mithi (45 degrees Celsius), Nawabshah (44.5), Badin (43), Dadu (42.5), Karachi, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Moenjodaro, Padidan and Rohri (42), Hyderabad (41.7), Jacobabad and Sukkur (41.5) and Sakrand (41).

He said that hot/very hot and dry weather was likely to prevail all over the province on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2018