Portal Interactive: 31 May and Karachi – 1985 and 1986

•  This article have been shared by Waseem Ahmed from Karachi, Pakistan

31^st May and KARACHI – A Look at the History

In the past, Karachi had experienced a ‘Panic Situation’ on the same day in two consecutive years:

On Saturday, 31^st May 1986: A hot and humid day during the holy month of Ramzan, it was quite humid (Hubs) till late afternoon as clouds started to appear around 4 pm from north, covered the sky and turned very dark. Then, I remember, around 4:30 it turned out ‘yellowish red sky’ with absolute darkness like night, then Karachi experienced about 15 minutes of very severe dust storm,  known as ‘Kaali Andhi’ in which thunder and rain accompanied later. Winds speed was recorded 60 knots & rainfall was 17 mm and it caused widespread damage in the city.

That storm remains the most severe dust storm in Karachi on the records till the 23-June, 2007 storm.

(A picture of next day’s Urdu newspaper showing the headline and other news about that deadly dust storm)

31-May 1986 storm information:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1477-8696.1988.tb03943.x/abstract

31^st May, 1985: A year earlier on the same date i.e. on Friday, 31^st May 1985, another day during Ramzan, a Tropical Cyclone in the Arabian Sea diverted towards Indian Gujarat near Run-Kuch coast. Earlier it was heading a bit north when it created panic in the city.

Although I was very young & didn’t have much knowledge or concept about the maps, but I remember that day very well, it was the Friday during the month of Ramzan, the anxiety and prays were going high until it was informed through Radio and T.V. that cyclone has diverted. Clouds were coming from ENE brought some showers in that afternoon and in the evening it was strange looking reddish sky just before the Aftaar.

(Given is the picture of that cyclone track)

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