A potential cyclone that has developed over the Rann of Kutch in India is likely to emerge along the Sindh coast late tonight or tomorrow morning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Thursday.
According to a PMD alert issued at 10am today, a deep depression over the Rann of Kutch has very slowly moved west/southwest over the last 12 hours and now lies around 270 kilometres east/southeast of Karachi.
“The system is likely to move west/southwestwards & emerge into northeast Arabian Sea along Sindh coast by late night/ tomorrow morning,” the statement read.
It added that due to “favourable environmental conditions”, the system is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by tomorrow and initially move in a west/southwest direction.
Under the system’s influence, widespread rain and thunderstorms, along with isolated heavy rainfall, are expected till August 31 with occasional gaps in the Karachi division as well as Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Dadu and Shaheed Benazirabad districts.
Sea conditions are likely to remain very rough with squally winds of 50 to 60 km/hour, the PMD alert warned. It advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till August 31.
“PMD’s cyclone warning centre in Karachi is monitoring the system and will issue the update accordingly,” the statement said. “The concerned authorities are requested to keep them abreast through PMD advisory.”
The powerful weather system made its presence felt early on Tuesday morning with a windstorm and heavy showers lashing Karachi, disrupting life and damaging civic infrastructure.
In the last 24 hours, the Tharparkar district received the highest amount of rainfall in Sindh — 347 millimetres across seven tehsils — the PMD said in an update.
Karachi recorded a cumulative 190mm of rain with Surjani Town receiving the highest amount (30mm).
Mirpurkhas district witnessed 143mm of rain while Hyderabad and Badin got a close 116mm and 112mm, respectively.
According to the Met Office, the maximum wind speed was recorded at Masroor Base (67km/hour) and Faisal Base (52km/hour).
The PMD’s forecast of up to 200mm of rain in Karachi and 500mm in other cities in Sindh has kept the authorities on their toes to take urgent measures to deal with the potential risk of urban flooding.
