KARACHI: The Met department recorded the country’s maximum temperature in Karachi on April 3 as the temperature soared to 43.6 degree Celsius.

According to the department, it was also the hottest day of April in 18 years in Karachi, currently experiencing heatwave-like conditions for almost a week.

“Karachi’s highest ever temperature (of April) was 44.4 degree Celsius, which was recorded on April 14, 1947. The second highest was 43.4 degree Celsius recorded in 2002, which is surpassed today,” said Sardar Sarfaraz representing the Met department, adding that Karachi was followed by Dadu and Mithi with 43.5 degree Celsius on Saturday.

Explaining the variation in temperature coupled with very low levels of humidity over the past few days in Karachi, he said it was mainly due to extremely dry wind flowing from the land towards the sea.

“This phenomenon is just the opposite of what Karachiites normally experience in summers when the wind flows from sea to land. However, you must have noticed that humidity levels — which even dropped to 10 per cent a day earlier — have improved today and so is the wind as the sea breeze resumed in the evening,” he said, hoping that normalized weather conditions would persist at least for a week.

The relative humidity recorded on Saturday ranged from 40pc to 41pc while the minimum temperature recorded was 23 degree Celsius.

“The heatwave over Karachi is likely to subside by tomorrow (Sunday) and the temperature may decrease to 37-38 degree Celsius. Wind direction will generally be westerly/south-westerly, relative humidity will range from 60 to 70pc in the morning to 30 to 40pc in the evening,” the department states on its website.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2021