The Weatherman says the effects of El Nino on the country’s weather pattern are beginning to reduce except for some areas that may continue to receive occasional heavy rainfall during January.
The Deputy Director in charge of Forecasting at Kenya Meteorological Department, Bernard Chanzu says El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean are still on, with “the strength of the El Nino currently at 2+ (Positive 2)” notes and adds that, “there is a 60% chance that the conditions are expected to dissipate around April.”
Chanzu says the effect of El Nino on the country’s weather pattern is mostly pronounced during the short rains season of October, November to December, “the effect of the El Nino weather phenomenon on the country is reducing, as the October, November to December short rains season comes to an end.”
Chanzu says some parts of the country are expected to continue receiving occasional rainfall, “especially few areas over the western sector, around the Lake Victoria Basin and Southern Rift Valley, the Highlands East of the Rift Valley, the South-eastern lowlands and the Coastal region may experience a few rainy days.”
The Deputy Director in Charge of forecasting says the rainfall will reduce in February adding that most parts of the Northern sector areas are expected to remain generally dry “although a few areas may experience occasional rainfall during the last week of January while a few areas over Southern Garissa are likely to start receiving occasional rainfall from the third week of the month.”
In the three-month forecast, January, February to March, the country is expected to experience sunny and dry weather conditions, which according to the weatherman should be favourable conditions for harvesting of crops, “as well as land preparation in readiness for the coming planting season in the agricultural areas,” he is advising farmers to seek guidance from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on how well to capitalize on the weather conditions.
The weatherman is calling on the public to adopt water harvesting and store more water from the rainfall expected in January in the southern half of the country to sustain water availability. He says the inflow into hydroelectricity power generation reservoirs is expected to boost hydropower generation and “contribute to groundwater recharge which is necessary for geothermal power production,” and warns that water availability for both human and livestock use is expected to decline further, especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) areas as a result of the dry weather conditions.
With temperatures expected to be warmer than average over most parts of the country, as daytime temperatures over northeast and northwest are expected to be high beyond 37 degrees Celsius, the Weatherman warns that this may lead to heat stress and heat-related discomforts such as headaches and fatigue, “the public is therefore advised to hydrate appropriately and avoid working in the open, especially in the afternoons.”
