Heatwave excluded

KARACHI: The Met department has denied rumours on social media of an impending heatwave, but daytime temperatures in the city could reach 32 to 34 degrees Celsius between February 17 and 18.  The minimum and maximum temperatures in the city on Thursday were 15 degrees Celsius and 32.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, according to the department.

Chief meteorologist Dr. S. Sarfaraz stated that the warm weather conditions currently present in Rajasthan, India, are an extension of what is currently occurring in the southern regions of Sindh. He added that transitory warm spells could not be classified as a heatwave. He claimed that a heatwave had no clear definition because it differed from place to region.

“What we can say generally is that a heatwave happens when the temperature stays higher for at least five days straight by five degrees Celsius than the normal [highest] temperature of the month. Despite this, there is no denying that global temperatures are rising each year.

According to the department’s forecast, warm weather with foggy mornings is predicted to dominate southern Sindh over the next three days, with maximum temperatures in Tharparkar, Badin, and Umerkot districts ranging from 36 to 38 degrees Celsius. In other parts of the province, cool evenings and foggy mornings are predicted.