KARACHI — A cyclonic storm named Shakti has formed over the northeast Arabian Sea, edging closer to Pakistan’s southern coastline and currently positioned about 360 kilometers south of Karachi, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Friday.
The deep depression that developed on Thursday morning intensified into a cyclonic storm by evening and is forecast to strengthen further into a severe cyclonic storm within the next 24 hours.
According to PMD, the system was centered at Latitude 21.7N and Longitude 66.8E on Friday evening. It is expected to track west-northwest initially before turning west-southwest, moving deeper into the central north Arabian Sea.
Under its influence, parts of Sindh and Balochistan are likely to experience light to moderate thunderstorms and rainfall, including districts such as Tharparkar, Umerkot, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Matiari, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Hub, Lasbela, Awaran, and Kech. Karachi may also receive isolated showers, though the overall forecast suggests cloudy and humid weather with intermittent drizzle over the weekend.
For Karachi, temperatures are expected to hover between 32°C and 34°C on Saturday, dropping slightly to 31°C–33°C on Sunday. Minimum temperatures will likely remain in the 26°C–28°C range.
PMD has warned that sea conditions will remain rough to very rough along the Sindh coast between October 3 and 5, with squally winds of 40–50 km/h, gusting up to 55 km/h. Around the storm’s core, gale-force winds of 65–75 km/h gusting up to 85 km/h are predicted through Saturday evening, strengthening to as much as 100–110 km/h with gusts reaching 125 km/h.
Authorities have advised fishermen to avoid venturing into the open sea until at least October 5, cautioning that very severe conditions are expected over the central north Arabian Sea from October 3–6. The storm may also cause damage to weak structures including kacha houses, rooftops, electric poles, billboards, vehicles, and solar panels due to strong winds, thunderstorms, and lightning.
