Commuters carefully make their way through a thick blanket of fog on a winter morning as the provincial capital slowly wakes up under poor visibility, turning an ordinary commute into a quiet test of patience and focus. Photo: ONLINE
KARACHI:
Dense fog enveloped the metropolis on Sunday morning, reducing visibility and disrupting flight operations at the Jinnah International Airport.
According to officials, this was the first period of heavy fog recorded in the metropolis this winter. Visibility, which had previously been about six kilometers, dropped to almost zero in the early hours. Even after sunrise it remained limited and gradually improved to about 200 meters in the morning, two kilometers around 12.30pm and only three kilometers by 2pm, still well below normal levels. The fog obscured visibility in several areas, causing inconvenience to motorists. Localities including Gulshan-e-Maymar, Surjani Town, Superhighway, Sohrab Goth, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulberg, II Chundrigar Road, Clifton and DHA were among the worst affected.
At Jinnah Airport, adverse weather conditions led to the diversion of six international flights. A Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesman said flights operated by Pegasus, Etihad and Gulf Air were diverted to Muscat. A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Madinah to Karachi was also diverted to Muscat, while a private airline’s flight from Jeddah was diverted to Islamabad.
PAA officials said diverting flights during periods of limited visibility was a routine safety measure.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted that fog may persist on Monday as well and continue to affect visibility. The weather is expected to remain dry for the next three days with cold nights and mornings. The city’s minimum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 17.5°C.
The PMD added that the sea breeze may remain suspended in the coming days, while winds from different directions may blow at speeds of over 18 kilometers per hour.
The longest night of the year marks the winter solstice
The night of 13 hours and 25 minutes was recorded as the longest of the year, while today (December 22) is the shortest day of 2025. Astronomers confirmed that the phenomenon, known as the *winter solstice*, took place overnight between Sunday and Monday across the Northern Hemisphere. Experts explained that the winter solstice occurs annually in December, typically between the 20th and 23rd of the month. This year it fell on December 22. The solstice is the point at which the Earth’s axial tilt—inclined at 23.4 degrees—tilts furthest away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in the longest night and shortest day of the year.
Astronomers noticed that Earth’s axis wobbles slightly, like a spinning top, during its rotation. As the planet orbits the Sun, there comes a moment when the northern tilt is maximally directed away from the Sun. Immediately after this point, the tilt begins to reverse, gradually orienting the northern hemisphere towards the Sun again. As a result, after the winter solstice, the nights start to get shorter and the days get longer. This astronomical event has been observed and celebrated across cultures for centuries, symbolizing the transition from the darkest period of the year to increasing daylight.
