KARACHI: Parts of Karachi received rain on Thursday under the influence of a westerly wave, which the Met Office said was expected to lead to a dip in temperatures till Saturday.

Reports of rain were received from Surjani, North Karachi, Scheme 33, Super Highway, Defence Housing Authority, Sohrab Goth, Clifton, Sharea Faisal and Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

Meanwhile, an alert by the traffic police at 3:49pm said Hub River Road had been closed for vehicles headed toward Dabba Mor as water from a drain had spilled over onto the road due to rain.

Traffic was being diverted toward Baldia Town from the Surti graveyard, the alert said.

The traffic police also issued an advisory, urging citizens to drive slowly, keep headlights on, exercise caution near electricity poles and dilapidated buildings and avoid going near poles and broken wires.

Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast cloudy weather in Karachi for today, saying that there were chances of rain.

In its three-day weather forecast issued on January 22, the PMD said a westerly wave was likely to grip Sindh, adding that dust-thunderstorms and light to moderate rain were expected in Karachi.

The forecast said highs of 23-25 degrees Celsius and lows of 13.5°C were expected today. It added that humidity was predicted to decrease from 84 per cent in the morning to between 50pc and 60pc in the evening, with a west/northwesterly wind.

Over the next two days, it further stated, temperatures are expected to drop, with highs of 20–22°C and lows of 7–9°C each day. Dry weather and cold nights are forecast throughout.

Additionally, both Friday and Saturday are forecast to be less humid than Thursday, with morning humidity at 40–50pc and 45–55pc respectively, dropping to 15–25pc in the evenings.

The PMD added that a north/northwesterly wind is expected on Friday, and an east/northeasterly wind will likely blow in the metropolis on Saturday.

Besides the Karachi division, it said, rain is also expected today in Jamshoro, Dadu, Thatta, Badin, Tharparkar, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot and Shikarpur districts.

In view of the PMD’s rain forecast for the city, Mayor Murtaza Wahab instructed the Karachi Metropolitan Cooporation (KMC) teams to remain alert.

In a statement, Wahab noted that all pumping stations across the city have been made functional for the timely discharge of rainwater.

He further affirmed that teams were on the ground to “continuously monitor” if citizens needed any help.

The mayor also issued directives to establish an emergency cell to deal with any untoward situation.

On Wednesday, the PMD said that rain and heavy snowfall will affect all provinces as well as the northern regions on January 22 and 23, as the National Disaster Manage­ment Authority issued an alert and asked citizens to take precautions.