KARACHI: Tropical storm Shaheen was 470 kilometres away from Karachi and 125 kilometres from Gwadar, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said in the latest alert on Saturday.
According to the seventh alert issued from the Met, Shaheen has been transformed into an intense cyclone that will move towards Oman after crossing the coastal belt of Balochistan on Saturday (today).
The Met Office further said wind thunderstorms with heavy rainfall was expected in Gwadar, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech, Khuzdar, Panjgur districts of Balochistan until Sunday.
While light rain and isolated thunderstorm could be witnessed in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin and Dadu districts of Sindh.
The sea condition would remain very rough until Sunday and advised the fishermen against venturing out in the sea during the period.
The National Center of Meteorology of the United Arab Emirates early Saturday said Shaheen was expected to intensify into a category 1 tropical cyclone and make an impact on the coastal and other areas of the Emirate.
“The tropical depression deepened to tropical storm Shaheen in the northeast of the Arabian Sea along the Indian-Pakistani coasts on Friday, and centered at 23.3 degrees north latitude and 64.4 degrees east longitude, accompanied with different types of clouds associated with rainy convective clouds with different intensities and strong winds over Arabian sea with a speed at the center from 65 to 115 km/h,” it said.
Earlier on Friday, the Met Office ruled out the chances of stormy rain in Karachi, in its latest weather forecast, as the tropical cyclone is moving toward Makran coastal belt.
“Chances of stormy rain have decreased, however moderate to heavy showers with strong winds are expected to lash Karachi,” it said.
The Met Office is monitoring the tropical situation around the clock and urged the public to follow up the official reports, instructions, and warnings from the local authorities.
