An unverified weather advisory with a siren and fire emojis have been viral on WhatsApp groups, claiming that severe heat is forecasted for tomorrow (March 12) during the day in coastal areas, including Karachi, Thatta, Noriabad, Lasbela, Keet Bandar, and surrounding regions.

Many people heeded the news amid dry weather in the metropolitan city. As expected, it landed in many social media groups.

Since last week, the weather in the city has been hot and dry. The maximum temperature recorded was 37.5 degrees Celsius on March 9 while the minimum temperature was noted at 20.5 degrees Celsius.

The message claimed that temperatures could possibly reach 40 to 42 degrees Celsius in coastal areas, including Karachi. It alleged that Karachi will experience temperatures at 90%, while northern areas of the city may see 95% heat.

The message urged residents to avoid unnecessary outings due to the extreme heat, as sea breezes would be absent, and hot winds from the north may lead to a significant increase in temperatures.

To check the veracity of such news, Aaj News approached the Pakistan Meteorological Department officials in Karachi. They “denied such reports” and added that there was no truth to such reports.

“Coastal winds are expected to resume today [Tuesday],” PMD spokesperson Anjum Nazir told Aaj News.

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“A significant drop in temperatures is anticipated starting tomorrow [Wednesday],” he said, “good winds will begin to blow in the city from Thursday.” Nazir added that maximum temperatures are expected to range from 33 to 35 degrees Celsius beginning Wednesday.

The weather was dry in Karachi on Tuesday, as predicted by the PMD. The maximum temperature was expected to reach between 36 to 38 degrees Celsius.

Over the last 24 hours, the highest recorded temperature was 39.1 degrees.

“For the next 10 days, the weather in the city is expected to improve,” Nazir said.