New Year's Day in Karachi saw temperature falling as low as nine degrees Celsius as citizens struggled to keep themselves warm in the face of unprecedented cold weather.

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department Director Sardar Sarfraz, the lowest temperature for this winter season was recorded on Wednesday.

"The current cold wave in Karachi is expected to last for the next two days," he said, adding that temperature may drop as low as eight degrees Celsius in the coming days.

"Siberian winds, blowing from the West at an average speed between 30 and 35 kilometres per hour, will also bring down the temperature during the day to around 20 degrees." He added that normal temperatures during the day for the season are between 24 and 25 degrees Celsius.

"From Jan 4 to Jan 6, the temperature will rise as the wind system shifts to Balochistan. However, temperature may drop again after Jan 7," he predicted.

He added that the entire country, and not just Karachi, was witnessing temperature which was colder than usual.

Meanwhile, National Forecasting Centre Director Zaheer Babar said on Wednesday that Skardu broke a 40-year record after reporting the lowest temperature, -20.7 degrees Celsius, during Dec 2019.

"Previously, the lowest the temperature had fallen in Skardu was -17.2 degrees Celsius in 1961. In Dec 2018, the temperature was -13.6 degrees Celsius, -9 degrees Celsius in Dec 2017 and -10.2 degrees Celsius in Dec 2016."

Additional input from Imtiaz Ali and APP