KARACHI: The mercury soared to 45 degrees Celsius at 1:00pm making Wednesday the hottest day of the year after a fresh heatwave hit the city due to the formation of low pressure areas in the Arabian Sea.

The Pakistan Met Department (PMD) officials have a day earlier warned that the next two days would be very hot and dry with the temperatures ranging between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius.

Officials said Pakistan was in the grip of an intense heat due to a large high pressure area over most parts of the country, saying the intense heat was concentrated on the plains of Sindh and Balochistan where the temperature could soar to 48 degrees Celsius during next six to seven days.

The increasing temperature of Arabian Sea surface is resulting in the formation of low pressure areas in the sea, depriving Karachi of its cooling system, i.e. the sea breeze, the PMD officials said and added that they were expecting intensely hot and dry weather in the city on Wednesday and Thursday.

The weather is expected to start improving from Friday after the resumption of the sea breeze, they said but added that the coming month of June would also be very hot due to changing climatic conditions in the Arabian Sea. They said May and June are usually the hottest months in Karachi and the rest of Pakistan. They added that the current heatwave that had gripped the country, from Gilgit Baltistan to Karachi, would continue at least for next six to seven days.

The officials said they were expecting humidity to remain low in Karachi during the afternoon timings, which would reduce the chances of heatstroke, but they warned the public to take precautionary measures. Utility services’ providers, including K-Electric and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, were also urged to ensure uninterrupted power and water supplies during the day timings when most people would be fasting.