A man leaves Karachi's China Creek after tying his boat.—Reuters

LAHORE / KARACHI: A depression in the Arabian Sea moved in a north-westerly direction towards Pakistan on Thursday, raising a strong possibility of widespread rain along the Sindh-Makran coast on Friday or Saturday.

The possibility of depression turning into a tropical cyclone over the next 24 to 36 hours also increased because of weather conditions and surface sea temperature.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said the cyclone would initially move in the north-westerly direction after it intensified on Saturday or Sunday.

“The sea surface temperature and other meteorological parameters indicate that expected tropical cyclone may further intensify on Saturday/Sunday,” said an advisory issued by the department`s tropical cyclone warning centre on Thursday.

If this happens, widespread heavy rains along with duststorms are expected along the Sindh-Makran coast from Friday night or Saturday to Monday. The rain may also cause urban/flash flooding in southern Balochistan and lower Sindh.

The centre said that sea conditions along the Sindh-Makran coast were expected to become rough to very rough on Friday. It again advised fishermen who are in the open sea to immediately return to the coast and refrain from going there till the clearance of the rough weather system.

Chief Meteorologist Mohammad Riaz Ahmad told Dawn that if the depression intensified further it would generate strong winds with rains in south-eastern parts along the Sindh-Makran coast, including Karachi, on Saturday.

“The weather threat (depression) is still 600km away from Pakistan`s coast, but there are chances that it may get favourable conditions to intensify and cause heavy rains if it reaches the Sindh coast,” he said, adding that the anticipated weather variability could last till June 14.

Meanwhile, maximum temperatures dropped by three to four degrees centigrade in Sindh on Thursday because of incursion of moisture from the Arabian Sea.

The highest maximum temperature of 47.5 degrees centigrade was recorded in Turbat.

The Karachi city district government has declared a state of emergency for its staff and offices. “Emergency has been declared in the city government and all organisations concerned as a preventive measure because of forecast of heavy rains and tropical cyclone in Karachi. Leave of officers and staff has been cancelled and they have been directed to remain on duty,” said a CDGK handout issued on Thursday after a meeting held to discuss the effects of a possible cyclone.

The meeting, presided over by Karachi Administrator Muhammad Hussain Syed, was attended by officials of the KPT, Port Qasim Authority, KESC, SSGC, PTCL, livestock and fisheries departments, PDMA, Meteorological Department, SBCA, Corps-V, Rangers, Coast Guards, police department, Karachi Fish Harbour Authority, KW&SB and Cantonment Board and EDOs and town administrators.

An emergency control and information centre has been set up at the DCO camp office.

The meeting was informed that necessary arrangements were being made for shifting the affected people to safe places and providing food and medicines and other necessary goods in the event of emergency.