KARACHI: The chances of wind and light rain have almost ended for Karachi in the current monsoon spell as the Met Office had earlier predicted no torrential rains for the Sindh capital, city weatherman Sardar Sarfaraz said on Wednesday.

“However, there are forecasts for rain in scattered places in Sindh today (Wednesday) while intermittent and regular rains will fall in upper parts of the country,” he said at the Aaj News morning show.

Karachi where the temperature hit more than 40°C last month is yet to receive its first spell of monsoon rain. In order to avert the urban flooding situation, the city administration has also claimed that the cleaning and de-silting of 41 major storm drains have almost been completed.

Balochistan rain

To a query over unprecedented weather patterns in Balochistan, the weatherman said that the dry weather had engulfed the country for almost four months, from February to May.

“Actually it was an interaction with Arabian sea… meaning the pre-monsoon and currents increased and a westerly wave approached from Afghanistan to Balochistan, this interaction led to severe weather there [Balochistan]. Hill torrents also contributed to the flooding situation.”

The host had asked the question about the sudden change in the weather in the province, which faced a drought-like situation for some part of the year and torrential rain in the current season, leading to flash floods.

On the countrywide rain, Sarfraz said the spell, which kicked in on June 16, would subside on Wednesday (today). There were incessant rains in all such areas, he said, adding that landslides were reported in the mountainous areas of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir due to the three to four days of heavy spell.

“But the good news is that this spell will end today and in the next few days there are not such rains,” Sarfraz said, “Then from June 28 or 29 the monsoon current will return.”