KARACHl: While Karachiites heaved a sigh of relief from the soaring temperatures, a heatwave gripped the upper and central parts of Sindh, with the mercury crossing 46 degrees Celsius in five cities on Monday.

According to the Met department`s data, the highest temperature (46.5°C) was recorded in the cities of Mohenjo Daro, Shaheed Benazirabad, Paddidan and Dadu; followed by Khairpur (46°C), Larkana and Rohri (45.5°C); Sakrand (45°C); Mithi and Sukkur (44.5°C); Hyderabad (43.5°C); Tandojam (43°C); Chhor (42°C); Mirpurkhas (41°C), Badin (39°C) and Thatta (38°C).

However, Karachi had somewhat pleasant weather on Monday with temperature dropping to 36°C from 40°C recorded a day earlier, providing some respite to citizens, who had been enduring sizzling weather conditions for the past few days.

`The low pressure area causing intensely hot conditions in the region now lies over upper Sindh, parts of Balochistan, southern Punjab and Rajasthan,` meteorologist Anjum Nazeer Zaigham explained.

Karachi and some other coastal areas were faring better due to high wind pressure, he added.

According to Mr Zaigham, the heatwave is expected to persist in Sindh for a few more days and that parts of upper Sindh are likely to see windstorm/light showers on April 10/11 under the influence of a shallow westerly wave entering the country.

`High temperature is likely to subside and then rise again,` he said.

According to the Met department`s advisory, day-time temperatures are likely to be 5-7°C above normal in most parts of Sindh on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hot and humid weather is likely to prevail in Karachi with maximum temperature ranging between 35-37°C on Tuesday (today) and 36-38°C on Wednesday (tomorrow). The minimum temperature is likely to range between 25-27°C.