KARACHI: A man died and dozens of structures, including trees, roadside stalls and advertising boards, fell when a windstorm followed by a brief spell of heavy rain and hailstorm hit parts of the city on Thursday.

The Met Office said that though the rainfall didn’t affect larger part of the city, it was the windstorm which hit mostly the districts East, Malir and parts of Central districts. They said it was actually the western disturbance trou­­gh that led to strong winds and then brief moderate to heavy rain. The areas which witnessed the rainfall inclu­ded Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulis­tan-i-Jauhar, Sche­­me-33, Gulsh­an-i-May­­mar, Malir, Nati­onal Hig­­h­way, Bin Qasim and Gadap.

The highest rain was rec­o­rded at University Road at 30.5 mm while Jinnah Terminal recorded 1mm and Old Airport 6.2mm. The Met Office recorded heavy, dusty and strong winds at the speed of upto 42 nautical miles per hour from northeast which hit the city and also damaged several vulnerable and even concrete structures.

Apart from damage to properties, the strong win­ds also claimed life of a man. Police surgeon Dr Su­­m­­maiya Syed said that a man, identified as Abdul Reh­m­an, 45, was brought dead from Port Qasim. He died when an iron gate fell on him because of extreme winds.

Bin Qasim SHO Farman Shar said that because of heavy winds, the gate of a warehouse had fallen, whi­ch killed the worker there. He said the police had not been approached for initiating any legal proceedings.

Despite the cooling showers, the maximum temperature reached 39.8 degree Celsius, with forecasts predicting a rise to 40 degrees on Friday and Saturday. The Met Office said that it was actually the intense heat which helped formed the clouds in certain areas. It also predicted hot and dry weather for the next three to four days.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2024