KARACHI: The mercury dropped to seven degrees Celsius in the night between Monday and Tuesday making it the coldest night of the year with the Met office warning that the trend was likely to continue in the city for the next three to four days.

A city weatherman said that the minimum temperature was 7°C and 23.3°C was recorded as maximum temperature of the day.

The temperature, he said, was expected to range between seven and nine degree Celsius this week.

“Last year, the temperature also dropped to 9.5°C on Dec 30,” said the official. “The cold wave gripped the city from Sunday [Dec 27] evening and is likely to continue this week.”

He said that the cold wave would subside in a few days with the entry of a new weather system in the country. January would likely see strong variation in temperature, which means temperature dropping lower than 9.2°C.”

He said that the month of January had often been the coldest month in Karachi and other parts of the country. About significant variation in Karachi’s maximum and minimum temperatures in a single day, he said this pattern was very much normal for the city.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2020