As Cyclone Asna moved away from Pakistan’s coastline on Saturday, lying around 230 kilometers away from Karachi, residents remained on alert for heavy rains expected from the weather system.
Initially identified as a deep depression, which the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned on Thursday could bring widespread rainfall, the system intensified into Cyclone Asna on Friday.
According to a PMD alert issued at 1 p.m. today, the cyclone over the northeast Arabian Sea, off the Sindh coast, continued moving westward over the past six hours. It is currently positioned approximately 230 km southwest of Karachi, 180 km south of Ormara, and 300 km southeast of Gwadar. The cyclone is likely to keep moving west-southwestward, the Met Office reported.
Under the cyclone’s influence, light to moderate rain with occasional gusty winds is expected today in Karachi Division, Sujawal, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Dadu, and Kambar Shahdadkot districts, while the weather will remain dry in the rest of Sindh. In Balochistan, rain-thundershowers with isolated heavy falls accompanied by squally winds up to 55 km/h are likely in Hub, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech, and Gwadar districts until tomorrow night.
The PMD advised fishermen in Sindh not to venture into the sea today and those in Balochistan until tomorrow. According to an update from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) at 8 a.m. via Zoom Earth, Cyclone Asna is expected to reach a maximum intensity of 85 km/h in about 12 hours before beginning to weaken within 24 hours. The JTWC expects the storm to degrade to a tropical depression within two days.
‘Rare’ Cyclone Event
Meteorologists have described the formation of Cyclone Asna during the monsoon season as a “rare phenomenon.” Chief Meteorologist Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz noted that cyclones are uncommon during the monsoon season, with an 80% chance for the storm’s formation if it moves from land to sea under favorable conditions. If it fully develops, Asna would be the first cyclone in the Arabian Sea during August since 1976, named as per a list prepared by a 13-country panel, including Pakistan.
Due to forecasts of heavy rains and potential urban flooding, schools in Karachi and Hyderabad were closed on Friday, and a ban on fishing and water activities was imposed from August 29 to 31.
Heavy monsoon rains caused widespread devastation across Pakistan, claiming at least two dozen lives on Friday. In Sindh, nine people died in rain-related incidents in Jamshoro, Dadu, and Mirpurkhas districts. Over 30 people were injured, and many mud houses were swept away. In Balochistan, two people are missing after 13 were carried away by flash floods in Loralai, Qila Saifullah, Duki, Harnai, and Jhal Magsi. In the north, 13 members of a single family died when their house’s roof collapsed due to a landslide in Upper Dir.
Meanwhile, in India, where at least 31 people have died from rain-related incidents this week, authorities evacuated over 8,700 people from ten districts in Gujarat state yesterday, officials reported.
