Owais Mughal
Pakistan is sizzling these days. Not just in political terms but literally.
The image aboce is from MSN weather site. Note the pinkish spots on most of the Punjab and Sindh-Baluchistan-Punjab border area. This color shows temperatures in excess of 45C (113F).
Large parts of the country are reporting daily temperatures in excess of 40C. Numerous lives have been unfortunately lost due to this heat wave in both Pakistan and India. As of June 12, Dawn newspaper is reporting 47 people have lost their lives in Pakistan. Today a friend forwarded me an email drawing my attention to 5-day weather forecast for Sibi. According to CNN weather website, temperature in Sibi Pakistan is going to hit 57C (or 134F) on Friday June 15, 2007. The forecast can be seen here.
I also consulted MSN‘s weather forecast and their website predicts a 47C (116F) for Sibi on Thursday. MSN’s forecast is here. There is a 10C difference in CNN and MSN weather forecast. Now whether CNN’s or MSN ‘s forecast holds true on friday, the point is that it is going to be very hot. Let us hope that WAPDA keeps electricity flowing, water utility keeps water flowing and there be no heat strokes. Just three days ago on June 9, 2007; 51C (124F) was recorded in Sibi.
After reading the above forecsast I went looking for temperature records. It looks like the world record of highest recorded temperature is 58C (136F) recorded on Sept 13, 1922 in Al Azizia, Libya. Asian record of highest recorded temperature is 54C (127F) recorded on June 21, 1942 in Tirat Tsvi. If CNNs forecast holds true then this infamous Asian record will come Pakistan’s way as early as tomorrow. Did I hear somebody say global warming?
According to CNN Weather, following is the forecast for major Pakistani cities for June 12, 2007: Sibi 54C (129F), Peshawar 53C (127F), Lahore 51C (124F), Sargodha 49C (120F), Faisalabad and Multan 48C (118F), Nawabshah 47C (116F), Islamabad 45C (113F) and Karachi 36C (96F).
References:
(1) Hottest temperature on Earth
(2) Photo of Sibi Jn is courtesy of Omar Marwat.
Such heat without electricity is like hell on earth…and there is no relief in sight in coming years as our genius planners are stuck on Kalabagh dam
Off topic, but I could not help admiring the simple but soft and pleasing architecture of the Sibi railway station. Obviously, it is a pre-Partition structure. And also, one can’t help noticing the totally unnecessary and avoidable post-Partition additions to the building. The electric cables etc.
well with that heat I guess the mangoes would alreday been ripened.
@PMA: kandhari wind in kandhar is the siberian wind and in karachi it is quetta ki hawa :)
Also I can relate that to the Canadian cold air blast/jet stream that normally hits the midwest and northeast of US during winter.
PMA,
I know, I got the drift of your thought in your earlier comment. But I was just pulling your leg.
MQ: In order to escape the heat in the plains we used to go to Chaman to spend our Summer vacation at our grand uncle’s house. In summer without the benefit of any kind of air-conditioning or even electric fans those mud houses of my relatives were incredibly cool and comfortable. And yes our mother always told us, “Soon it will be time for ‘Garma’ (melon) and grapes in Chaman”. Yes you are right. The fruits are ready in late August and early September. After that the Kandahari winds set in and it becomes too cold in Chaman.