Monsoon rains likely to hit Karachi in first week of July
Monsoon rains likely to hit Karachi in first week of July
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KARACHI: Weather experts predict the arrival of the monsoon season in Karachi in early July, driven by a "medium-level pressure over the Arabian Sea" expected to form on June 30.
A weather analyst told Geo News that this pressure, forming over the Arabian Sea on June 30, will likely result in the first spell of rain for the port city in the first week of July.
The monsoon season is anticipated to begin from June 27 to July 4 across Pakistan. Experts forecast "more than usual rains" in the southern areas of Sindh, including Karachi, this year. However, they cautioned that this is a "long-term forecast" and could change.
Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted very hot and dry weather during the daytime in most plain areas of the country. However, gusty winds, windstorms, and isolated rain-thunderstorms are expected in northeast Punjab, Islamabad, the Potohar region, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan during the evening and night.
The PMD also forecast drizzle in some areas of Karachi late Wednesday night, but the weather is expected to remain hot and humid over the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, in India, below-normal rainfall is expected in June due to slow monsoon progress, raising concerns for the agricultural sector of Asia's third-largest economy.
Summer rains, crucial for India's economic growth, typically begin in the south around June 1 and spread nationwide by July 8, allowing farmers to plant rice, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that the country is likely to receive below-normal rains, or less than 92% of the long-period average rainfall.
Since June 1, India has received 20% less rainfall than normal, with almost all regions experiencing shortfalls except for a few southern states. Some northwestern states are also facing heat waves.
The monsoon is vital for India's nearly $3.5-trillion economy, providing about 70% of the rain needed for agriculture and replenishing reservoirs and aquifers.
