Islamabad, June 22 (EFE).- The maximum temperature in Pakistan is likely to reach the 50-degree mark in the coming days as a severe heatwave grips the country with no immediate relief in sight, according to the weather department on Thursday.
The daytime temperature rose to 49 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and the meteorological department has predicted that the heatwave conditions will continue through the weekend.
The worst affected is the southeastern Balochistan region, the largest province in terms of area, comprising 42 percent of Pakistan’s land.
The meteorological department reported that the Nokkundi area in Balochistan recorded a high temperature of 49 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz told EFE that temperatures could reach 50 degrees Celsius in parts of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. “But in Balochistan, it is expected to subside a bit.”
He advised people living in these areas to stay indoors.
“Day temperatures are likely to rise gradually in most parts of the country from June 22 to 24,” the weather department said in an advisory on Thursday morning.
According to the advisory, day temperatures are expected to remain four to six degrees Celsius above normal in parts of the country.
The chief of the weather department said that this current heatwave could be the first and last in the country for now, as the monsoonal flow is expected to begin in July.
“Last year, we had five to six heatwaves from mid-March to mid-June but this year looks like it is the only heatwave we are having,” he said.
Sarfaraz said rainfall was expected from Sunday, which will bring an end to the ongoing heatwave. The situation will improve with the expected pre-monsoon rains in July.
Heatwaves are common in Pakistan during the summer season before the arrival of the monsoon.
In the scorching heat, many Pakistanis work under the sweltering sun.
The government has warned that rising temperatures are causing glaciers in the north of the country to melt at a rapid pace.
Pakistan has more than 7,000 glaciers, the highest number outside the North and South Poles, making it one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change caused by global warming. EFE
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