Weeks-long heat wave tightening its grip on Pakistan, and it won't let up for weeks
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
June 14, 2019, 5:14:48 PM EDT
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Cyclone Vayu will not be helping to bring relief to the heatwave in parts of Pakistan, where above-normal temperatures are unlikely to let up at least until the end of June. Temperatures were hot there this week -- the mercury climbed to 107 F on Thursday and AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures ranged from 105 F to 110 (40.6 C to 43.3) in recent days.
The counterclockwise wind flow around Cyclone Vayu is offsetting the normal onshore winds and causing offshore winds, allowing heat to build in Karachi and other cities Pakistan, and over the border into western India, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews.
It's unusual for Pakistan to have offshore winds at this time of the year.
People take selfies at sunset, while they visit a beach to witness the high tide following Cyclone Vayu, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, June 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Temperatures have risen abnormally high levels in parts of Pakistan and spilled into western India, the southwestern monsoon that usually cools the region lagging behind schedule.
One of the hottest locations in Pakistan, the city of Jacobabad, hit at least 100 degrees F (37.8 C) on all but two days in May. And the scorching temperatures have continued this month. Every day in June has been above 100 degrees so far for the city, which kicked off the month with a sweltering 124 degrees (51.1 C) on June 1 and 2. This peak in temperature was 4 degrees shy of Pakistan's all-time national high of 128.3 degrees F (53.5 C), and 3 degrees shy of the city's record high.
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Typically, the southwestern monsoon winds bring rain to cool down the regions.
"Asia is breathing in during the summer and out during the winter," Andrews said, describing the monsoon. But right now Asia seems to be short of breath, the monsoon hundreds of miles behind schedule.
This graphic from the India Meteorological Department shows the lagging progress of the southwest monsoon across India and Pakistan up to this week. (India Meteorological Department)
Amid the late monsoon and the interference from Cyclone Vayu, which was still about the strength of a category 1 hurricane as of Friday. The above-normal temperatures the country has been experiencing are likely to last until at least the end of the month.
Lahore, Pakistan, which has a normal high of 101 degrees F (38.3 C) on June 29, is projected to reach 112 degrees (44.4 C) on that date, if not higher.
If scattered rains from Cyclone Vayu make their way into Pakistan, they aren't likely to reach places like Karachi, Pakistan, that need the rain, according to Andrews.
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