Karachi is expected to face a notable drop in temperatures between January 4 and 5, with the mercury likely to fall to single digits, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
PMD Deputy Director Anjum Nazeer said that a series of western weather systems has been affecting the country since December 29, bringing light rainfall to several parts of Karachi. He noted that the highest rainfall, measuring six millimetres, was recorded in the Kemari area and that rain activity in the city has largely come to an end.
The PMD said the western system is expected to move eastward in the coming hours, after which cold Siberian winds will take over. This shift is likely to intensify cold conditions in Karachi over the weekend.
The department also forecast rain accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms, along with snowfall in hilly areas, across northern Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Kashmir, Islamabad, and parts of Punjab during the next 12 hours.
It further warned that patchy fog may continue in northeast and south Punjab as well as upper Sindh during morning and night hours, while cold and cloudy weather is expected to persist in other regions.
Temperatures recorded on Wednesday morning were 8 degrees Celsius in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad, 9 degrees Celsius in Lahore, 20 degrees Celsius in Karachi, 10 degrees Celsius in Peshawar, 3 in Quetta, 6 in Gilgit and 4 in Murree.