On Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that Cyclone Asna has dissipated from the shore of Pakistan and is now moving west-southwest. The cyclone which formed over the northeastern Arabian Sea near Sindh and was around 220 km to the south of Karachi has further moved westwards and is about 200 km southwest of Karachi, 220 km south-southwest of Ormara and,, 380 km southeast of Gwadar.
The PMD further said that the cyclone’s impact may result in rains and thunderstorms in the Karachi division, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, T. M Khan, T. A Yar, Matiari, Jamshoro, and Dadu districts in Sindh this evening and night. In Balochistan, Hub, Lasbella, Awaran, Keach,, and Gwadar similar conditions will continue to be seen till tomorrow night.
Such regions are likely to be impacted by strong winds with velocities in the range of 60-70 km/h and gusts of 80 km/h. The sea conditions are expected to be moderate to high to very high and similar squally winds are also expected. Fishermen that operate in the Sindh province are discouraged or advised not to venture into the sea today while those of Balochistan should not venture out today but delay until tomorrow.
On Friday, the PMD had warned that Cyclone Asna which had developed from the deep depression will cause widespread rainfall. The havoc, caused by these showers and gusts in Karachi includes the destruction of infrastructure and a reported death case of a woman. A video that was recorded in Karachi’s Tariq Road revealed that the team was able to salvage the lives of individuals who were stuck in a car, which added to the death toll.