Good rain prospects
Rain is expected to continue countrywide until Saturday, while the latest annual Southern African regional climate outlook forum (Sarcof-21) confirmed that the bulk of the country can expect normal to above-normal rainfall between January and April next year.
“A deep low-pressure system over Namibia will continue triggering thunderstorms in the next couple of days,” chief forecaster Odillo Kgobetsi from the Namibia Meteorological Service (NMS) told Namibian Sun yesterday.
“Thundershowers are expected in the north, central, east and southern regions until Saturday. It will be heavy in places in the northern and //Karas regions.”
Strong westerly winds will keep the extreme west of Namibia dry.
The heat wave that led to highs of between 34 and 40 degrees Celsius in some places ended on Tuesday, but hot weather of more than 30 degrees Celsius will continue.
In terms of a long-term outlook, a statement issued by climate scientists following the Sarcof-21 meeting in Botswana earlier this month indicates that most parts of Namibia and the bulk of the Southern African region is “likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall for most of the period January to May 2018”.
The Sarcof-21 statement added, however, that “the extreme western part of Angola, Namibia, south-western part of South Africa, extreme northwest of DRC and eastern Madagascar are more likely to receive normal to below-normal rainfall for the same season.”
The Sarcof-21 mid-season review was held to present a consensus outlook update for the 2017/2018 rainfall season over the SADC region.
Climate scientists from across the region as well as global partners contributed to the final outlook.
The scientists say the Sarcof-21 outlook is relevant only to seasonal, or overlapping three-monthly time-scales and relatively large areas may not fully account for all the factors that influence regional and national climate variability, such as local and month-to-month variations.
“Most of Namibia” is expected to have increased chances for normal to above-normal rainfall during January, February, and March 2018.
For February, March and April 2018, the “bulk of Namibia” has increased chances of normal to above-normal rainfall.
For the period March, April and May 2018, the Sarcof-18 consensus is that northern Namibia has increased chances of normal to above-normal rainfall,
Above-normal rainfall is defined as lying within the wettest third of recorded rainfall amounts; below-normal is defined within the driest third of rainfall amounts; and normal is the middle third.
JANA-MARI SMITH
“A deep low-pressure system over Namibia will continue triggering thunderstorms in the next couple of days,” chief forecaster Odillo Kgobetsi from the Namibia Meteorological Service (NMS) told Namibian Sun yesterday.
“Thundershowers are expected in the north, central, east and southern regions until Saturday. It will be heavy in places in the northern and //Karas regions.”
Strong westerly winds will keep the extreme west of Namibia dry.
The heat wave that led to highs of between 34 and 40 degrees Celsius in some places ended on Tuesday, but hot weather of more than 30 degrees Celsius will continue.
In terms of a long-term outlook, a statement issued by climate scientists following the Sarcof-21 meeting in Botswana earlier this month indicates that most parts of Namibia and the bulk of the Southern African region is “likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall for most of the period January to May 2018”.
The Sarcof-21 statement added, however, that “the extreme western part of Angola, Namibia, south-western part of South Africa, extreme northwest of DRC and eastern Madagascar are more likely to receive normal to below-normal rainfall for the same season.”
The Sarcof-21 mid-season review was held to present a consensus outlook update for the 2017/2018 rainfall season over the SADC region.
Climate scientists from across the region as well as global partners contributed to the final outlook.
The scientists say the Sarcof-21 outlook is relevant only to seasonal, or overlapping three-monthly time-scales and relatively large areas may not fully account for all the factors that influence regional and national climate variability, such as local and month-to-month variations.
“Most of Namibia” is expected to have increased chances for normal to above-normal rainfall during January, February, and March 2018.
For February, March and April 2018, the “bulk of Namibia” has increased chances of normal to above-normal rainfall.
For the period March, April and May 2018, the Sarcof-18 consensus is that northern Namibia has increased chances of normal to above-normal rainfall,
Above-normal rainfall is defined as lying within the wettest third of recorded rainfall amounts; below-normal is defined within the driest third of rainfall amounts; and normal is the middle third.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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