KARACHI: Citizens are likely to get some respite from the sizzling weather conditions with a likely change in the wind direction on Wednesday (today) in the metropolis, the Met Office said.

The maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was 37.5 degrees Celsius, the highest so far recorded this month.

“The mercury is likely to drop slightly on Wednesday [today] with the wind changing its direction from north-northerly to southwesterly,” said Chief Meteorologist Dr S. Sarfaraz.

He said that dry, hot wind from the desert areas had raised the temperature.

“The process of the sea breeze’s restoration has already started. We are expecting a pleasant weather from Wednesday onwards for a few days,” he added. He rejected speculations on social media about the arrival of a heatwave from March 21.

“Even this brief episode of hot weather couldn’t be technically described as a heatwave. This phenomenon is reported when the temperature remains at least five degrees above the average temperature of that particular month for a minimum five consecutive days,” he explained.

According to him, the average temperature of March is 32.6°C. The recent hot weather conditions lasted for only three days and mercury ranged from 36-37°C.

The last 10 days of March were usually hot as it served as a transition phase for the changing weather.

On Wednesday, the weather is expected to be fair/partly cloudy.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2024