Rain lashes Windhoek

A relatively brief but heavy downpour in Windhoek on Wednesday afternoon caused mayhem as flash floods and slippery streets led to several accidents. A serious crash was reported late on Wednesday on the road leading out of Windhoek to Gobabis, when a truck driver lost control of the vehicle and an oncoming sedan crashed into the side of the truck. According to reports, the car driver was trapped and emergency personnel had to cut off the car's roof in order to extract the driver and three passengers. In another reported accident, a car skidded and ended up in a riverbed. Four people were taken to hospital.At least two more vehicles, including a truck, landed in a ditch next to the road after their drivers lost control during the rain. No further details on the extent of the injuries could be obtained from the authorities by the time of publication. The daily flood bulletin issued by the Namibia Hydrological Services (NHS) yesterday confirmed that heavy rains fell over most parts of Namibia. Windhoek residents reported varying quantities of rain, ranging from as much as 100mm reported in Auasblick to 22mm in Cimbebasia. Olympia residents reported around 45mm, Windhoek West 50mm, Eros 48mm, and Klein Windhoek 60mm. Outside Windhoek, Heja Lodge reportedly received 18mm of rain while a lodge 70km east of Windhoek received more than 50mm. A farmer near Mariental said they received 22mm and a farmer near Omaruru reported 10mm. Residents of Outapi and Outjo shared videos of flooded streets on a popular Facebook page. Photographs and videos taken by people across Namibia showed flooded streets and vehicles stuck in deep water after daring to cross flowing streams. Earlier this week, chief forecaster Odillo Kgobetsi at the Windhoek weather office told Namibian Sun that the rainy weather would continue in most parts of Namibia until Saturday. He added that especially heavy downpours were expected in the north and the //Karas Region. According to the latest NHS bulletin, the Zambezi River at Katima Mulilo is gradually rising and is currently at 0.47m. Water levels are slightly higher than the same period last year. The Okavango River at Rundu is currently at 3.88m, which is lower than at the same time last year. The NamWater dam bulletin stated that Von Bach Dam is at 62.1%, Swakoppoort Dam 41.7%, Omatako Dam 1.1%, Naute Dam 75.2% and Oanob Dam at 73.5%. Last season, Von Bach was at 10.2% of its capacity and the Swakoppoort Dam at 6%. The Hardap Dam is currently at 46.7%.JANA-MARI SMITH

Rain lashes Windhoek

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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Rain lashes Windhoek

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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