Four more people lost their lives as rain lashed Karachi under the current monsoon spell. Two of the citizens drowned due to flooding, while the other two were electrocuted. According to the reports, around 40 people were trapped on the Korangi Causeway which was heavily flooded after the downpour on Friday and swept away by the rainwater.
Hostens: On August 10, wildfires tore through the Gironde region of southwestern France, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of 10,000 residents. France has been struggling this summer with successive heatwaves and its worst drought on record. Dozens of wildfires are ablaze across the country, including at least eight major ones. "Prepare your papers, the animals you can take with you, some belongings," the Gironde municipality of Belin-Beliet said on Facebook before evacuating parts of the town.
London: On Aug 9, Britain's weather service issued an amber "Extreme Heat" warning for parts of England and Wales. The amber warning, the second-most severe after red, will be in place from Thursday through to the end of Sunday. Temperatures are expected to peak at 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Friday and may hit 36C in some places on Saturday, the UK Met Office said.
Paris: On August 7, France has been facing its worst drought on record after it left parched villages without safe drinking water and farmers of a looming crop shortage in the winter. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's office set up a crisis team to tackle drought. "This new heatwave is likely to set in," La Chaine Meteo, similar to the U.S. cable service The Weather Channel, said.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), a 3.8 magnitude earthquake jolted Lasbela and other parts of Balochistan on Wednesday. The PMD’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre said the earthquake took place at 2:44 pm 103 kilometers northwest of the Bela area at the depth of 33km. Tremors were felt in the Lasebela district and its surroundings. So far, no casualties or injuries have been reported.
On Tuesday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted more rains for Sindh, including Karachi, between August 5 (Friday) and August 9 (Tuesday). Monsoon currents of moderate intensity are likely to enter eastern Sindh from the night of August 4, it said in a statement. Under the influence of this weather system, it said, rain and thunderstorms with moderate and heavy falls were districts during August 5 and August 9.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps troops continue to engage in rescue and relief efforts in the flood-hit areas of the country. Providing an update on the flow of various rivers, the ISPR said all rivers "are flowing normal except a low flood in Indus River at Attock, Tarbela, Chashma, and Guddu". A low flood was also reported at Warsak and a medium flood at Nowshehra in Kabul River, it added.
As huge rains and floods unleashed devastation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it left 19 more dead and hundreds of others stranded in both provinces. The Pakistan Army, and Frontier Corps have been aiding the civil administration in rescue and relief operations in the provinces. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also visited the flood-affected areas of the province and reviewed the rescue and relief operations in the province.
Quetta: The recent monsoon spell in the country pummelled Balochistan, leaving destruction in its way. According to the reports, more than 100 people lost their lives and thousands of homes were completely destroyed. Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Azai Aqilia said, in a press conference, that as many as 111 people had lost their lives so far as the heavy downpour continues to hit the province. The rains completely tore down 6,077 houses and more than 10,000 homes were partially damaged, he added.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasted more rains for Sindh, including Karachi, from today till Friday. "The low-pressure area causing widespread heavy rains in Sindh has moved westward, towards the Oman coast. The low over Rajasthan, India now lies over northwest Rajasthan and adjoining northeast Sindh," it said in a statement. Meanwhile, rain ranging between light and moderate was expected in Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, and Karachi today.
London: On July 19, Britain recorded its highest ever temperature of 40°C (104°F) as a heatwave gripping Europe intensified. The Met Office said the provisional record, which still needs to be confirmed, was recorded at 12.50 pm (1150 GMT) at London's Heathrow Airport, surpassing the previous high of 38.7C recorded in 2019. Stephen Belcher at the Met Office said he had not expected to see such temperatures in Britain in his career.
Mild to heavy rains were reported from different parts of Karachi on Sunday evening, which caused the death of one person. The man died in Buffer Zone of electrocution, Taimuria police SHO, Abdul Rasheed told. The victim was identified as Akbar Khan, 50, who suffered a fatal electric shock inside his home near Ali Building, sector-16. His body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to fulfill legal formalities.
On July 14, the U.S. government weather forecaster said that La Nina conditions would likely continue through 2022 with the odds for the weather pattern decreasing into the northern hemisphere late summer before increasing through the northern hemisphere fall and early winter 2022. The La Niña weather pattern is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Karachi: Following the first spell of monsoon rains in Sindh, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of "heavy to very heavy" rains from July 14 to July 17. The PMD, in a press release, informed the masses that "monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal are continuously penetrating upper and central parts of the country, while another strong monsoon low-pressure area (LPA) is likely to approach Sindh on Thursday". The PMD further said that rains would not only hit Sindh but would also be experienced in Balochistan and South Punjab.
As per the reports, several areas in the twin cities were flooded with at least one child dead as monsoon rains lashed Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Tuesday. The child’s death occurred due to drowning, in the Leh Nullah in Rawalpindi’s Hazara Colony area, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122 told. The spokesperson said that two friends had dared each other to jump in the Nullah, following which one of them drowned. A search operation was ongoing to recover the child’s body, he added.
It emerged on Tuesday that Pre-monsoon rains wreaked havoc in various parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), heavy rains caused floods and roofs to collapse, damaged crops and properties, and left several people dead and injured. In the Sonari area of Balochistan's Kohlu, the road connecting to Quetta had been swept away by flooding and several bridges were damaged.
Beijing: On June 21, it was reported that two provinces in south China upgraded flood warnings as rivers overflowed their banks and waters reached record levels. Guangdong province's Shaoguan city, where average rainfall since late May has broken records, raised its flood alert to the highest, Level 1. Authorities asked residents of communities along river banks and in low-lying neighborhoods to move to higher ground after floodwaters hit a 50-year high, state television reported.
On Sunday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted countrywide torrential rains from Monday due to a strong weather system entering the upper and central parts of the country. According to PMD, the weather system will persist till Wednesday night. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also notified that it had directed authorities to adopt rain-emergency measures to prevent any untoward situations during the rains.
