KARACHI: Karachi yesterday [Aug 7] received its maiden monsoon showers and weather experts last night said that the expected heavy rains and the storm were not coming. For today, the Meteorological Department has forecast only passing showers and a cloudy day.

The deep depression moving towards Karachi, which was reported 260 miles south-east of the City yesterday morning, became stagnant and had begun to weaken. This saved Karachi from the storm and heavy rains that were expected between Wednesday-Thursday night and today.

But the first spell of rain yesterday at about 5 p.m. came almost like the feared forerunner of the expected heavy fall and the local administration and other agencies braced themselves for rain emergency.

The rain, however, came as a relief for suspense had been mounting since forenoon yesterday when the weather became hot and close and the signs of rains were in the air. It was made more welcome by a very hot day as the temperature touched 105 degrees F — the highest this summer. The brief spell brought familiar problems in the rain-allergic City as the low-lying areas were soon flooded.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2018