Horn of Africa to Experience Heavy Rains until June: IGAD Weather Service

NAIROBI, Xinhua: The larger part of the Horn of Africa region is expected to be wetter than usual between April and June, said the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, Tuesday.

The ICPAC said in its latest forecast that wetter-than-usual conditions are expected over most parts of the equatorial and northern sectors of the region.

“High chances of wetter-than-usual conditions are indicated over equatorial and northeastern parts of the region from April to June with few areas in western Ethiopia and western South Sudan expected to be drier than usual,” the ICPAC said.

The rainfall would be a continuation of a period of heavy rains during the March-May season, which has started with the rains already causing deaths and heavy flooding in some countries, including Kenya.

Besides the wetter period, the institution, which is based in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, said the region would also experience warmer-than-normal temperatures during the period.

“Warmer-than-usual temperatures are indicated over the whole region. The highest probabilities are indicated over Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and coastal parts of Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania,” the ICPAC said.

The Horn of Africa region has, in the last year, recorded varied climatic conditions that include drought and heavy rains in quick succession as the effects of climate change unfold.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 479 people were killed and more than 5.2 million people affected by flooding caused by El Nino rains between October and December 2023 in Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, and Ethiopia.