File photo. Rizwan Tabassum—AFP
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday warned that temperatures are likely to rise gradually in most parts of the country this week, resulting in ‘heatwave-like’ conditions.
In an advisory, the Met Office said that the presence of high pressure in the upper atmosphere would result in day temperatures increasing gradually in most parts of the country from June 20-24. It said that daytime temperatures would likely remain 4-6°C above normal in upper and central Punjab, Islamabad, upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. At the same time, it said, temperatures would likely be 2-4°C above normal in Sindh, South Punjab and parts of Balochistan.
Amidst the heatwave-like conditions, it forecast, occasional dust/thunderstorm with rain could occur at isolated places in the plains of the country and hilly areas.
The PDM said that the rise in temperature would likely see an increase in power and water demand over the coming week. In this regard, it advised farmers to manage the watering of crop accordingly and urged the general public to avoid all unnecessary exposure to direct sunlight.