Karachi is sizzling under an intense heat spell that is expected to last three days starting from Thursday, the Met Office has told Dawn.com.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), several parts of Sindh including Karachi will be gripped with hot and dry weather that will likely take the mercury to 43°C or higher in the next few days.

A heatwave alert issued on the PMD website says the weather on Thursday (today) and Friday will be "hot/very hot and dry", with the maximum temperature hitting 43 degrees and humidity dropping to 10-20 per cent during the evenings.

The sweltering heat will start subsiding on Saturday, with the temperature dropping to a maximum of 37°C and weather turning warm.

“Karachi is expected to endure a rise in temperature between 41-43°C on Thursday, while on Friday the maximum temperature will be between 40-42°C and the humidity will drop to 15pc,” PMD Director General Dr Ghulam Rasul told Dawn.com.

“We’re expecting a 1-2 degree rise in temperature compared to the average. The weather will remain extremely dry during the night due to a halt in coastal winds but the humidity will reach normal levels on the third day [Saturday],” Dr Rasul said.

He said the chances of heatwaves gripping Karachi this month and in June are very high. The coastal areas especially may have to endure heatwaves if the sea breeze stops blowing under the influence of a low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea.

“We are also in touch with K-Electric and have advised them to manage their load due to an expected rise in the temperature, especially in low-income group areas, where people don’t have alternative means of keeping their fans running.”

He said the Met Office will issue a special advisory prior to the onset of any heatwave in any part of the country so that residents and the authorities can take precautionary measures to avoid any losses.

The Met Office chief said the mercury in Karachi will remain a degree or two above the normal temperature in May and June, adding that the average temperature this month had been 38°C, which means that it is expected to rise to 39-40 degrees. The weather will start improving as monsoon approaches the country in July, he said.

According to Dr Rasul, the Met Office recently held a workshop in Karachi to alert and aware the public about heatwaves.

“We need to give relief to people suffering from heatwaves who reside in low-income areas as they often don't have ventilation in their houses, and live in congested neighbourhoods."

The sizzling temperatures in Pakistan made international headlines earlier this week when it was reported that Nawabshah (Shaheed Benazirabad) in Sindh may have endured the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth in the month of April.

A high of 50.2 degrees Celsius was recorded in Shaheed Benazirabad on April 30, with dozens suffering heat strokes and business activities coming to a halt in the city.