PMD issues alert, next week may turn out to be year’s hottest

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued an alert to all the concerned departments to adopt pre-emptive measures to avoid any untoward situation as the heatwave gripping in Sindh as is expected to spread in parts of the country after mid-April.

The PMD’s Director General Dr Ghulam Rasul told Express Tribune “It is expected that the coming week is likely to be the hottest week of the year throughout the country.”

Usually in mid-April temperature in most parts of the country, except in interior Sindh, rarely crosses 40 degree centigrade, he said.

While sharing details, the director said next week temperature in central Pakistan would touch 45-46 degree centigrade. In interior Sindh it may reach 48-49 degree centigrade, in plain areas of Balochistan it may fluctuate between 42 to 44 degree centigrade, in southern Punjab it will fluctuate between 45 to 47 degree centigrade and in Islamabad it is expected to cross 40 degree centigrade.

He added that the mercury is also likely to touch 30 degree centigrade in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral and other northern areas.

He said that the last time the temperature crossed 40 degree centigrade in the capital was in 2006 when the temperature was recorded at 40.6 degree centigrade on April 29 of that year.