LAHORE: Temperatures further arose in the plain areas of the country, making Thursday as the hottest day of the current summer so far.

“Temperatures are likely to rise also in the next few days, especially in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan,” said a meteorologist in Lahore.

And where the very hot weather was troublesome for the fasting people, children and the elderly, meteorologists said it was required for the much-needed melting of snow and glacier to improve water supplies to the dams, and for crops.

Roads in Lahore wore a deserted look during daytime as people preferred to remain indoors to guard against the very hot weather. The Met department said the maximum temperature in the city was 44 degrees C, the highest so far.

Temperatures in some Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab cities began to reach their highest ever levels of the season. Jacobabad, Sukkur and Moenjodaro recorded 49 degrees, Larkana, Rohri, Bahawalnagar 48, Bhakkar, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanpur, Noorpur Thal, Turbat and Sibbi 47.

The maximum temperature in Dera Ismail Khan was 46 degrees C, Multan and Faisalabad 45 and Sargodha 44.

The Met department said a shallow westerly wave was present over upper parts of the country. But it was expected to give dust-thunderstorm and rain at isolated places only in Malakand, Hazara, Kohat, Bannu and Rawalpindi divisions, Islamabad and Kashmir in the next 24 hours.

Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country, while very hot in eastern Balochistan, Sindh, plain areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2019