Weather Forecasts

Zim to have normal to below normal rain: Forecast

ZIMBABWE and much of the region, which saw the lowest rainfall in 40 years this year, will receive normal to below normal rains in the coming season, a regional forecast released on Friday says.

Normal rains in southern Africa are expected in the coming months of October, November and December, the 23rd Southern African Regional Climate Forum (SARCOF-23) projected after a meeting of regional meteorologists in Luanda.

According to the SARCOF-23, the Southern African Development Community will have higher humidity levels due to more rainfall in comparison with the same period last year. Normal and above average rainfall is expected for most of the region, with the exception of the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the northern parts of Angola and Mozambique, which will have normal rains.

“For the months of January, February and March there will be, in almost every region, normal and above normal rainfall, except for west of Angola (Namibe province) and Namibia, southern South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Madagascar, which will have normal rainfall with below normal-trend,” the forecast says.

More than 150 meteorologists from Angola, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, DRC, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho and Madagascar attended the meeting.

In the 2018-2019 season, large parts of southern Africa received their lowest rainfall since 1981, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In Zimbabwe, drought in 2018-2019 left up to 3,7 million people in rural areas and a further 2,2 million in urban areas at risk. The country in August issued a US$331 million relief appeal.

Government expects grain output to reach 852 000 tonnes in the 2018-2019 season, well below the national annual consumption of 1,8 million tonnes. Treasury has budgeted $624 million for grain imports up to December.

Low rainfall has also contributed to Zimbabwe’s power crisis, as low water levels at Kariba have forced both Zambia and Zimbabwe to drastically cut on power generation.

Kariba is designed to operate between levels 475,50 metres and 488,50 metres for hydropower generation. Authorities have warned that power generation will have to stop completely when the water levels fall below those levels, adding this could happen this month.

As at August 26, the water level had fallen to 478,5m, according to the Zambezi River Authority. Last year, on the same date, the lake level was 486,31m. Kariba is currently 21% full. This time in 2018, the lake was 81% full.

Kariba’s vast catchment area sits astride eight countries in the region; Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. — newZWire

 https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/09/zim-to-have-normal-to-below-normal-rain-forecast/

BREAKING NEWS: El Nino threat looms

As the nation prepares for the 2018/19 farming season, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, Ambassador Grace Mutandiro, has revealed that the 2018/19 rainfall season points to an El Nino effect.

In her opening remarks at the Meteorological Services Department National Climate Outlook Forum currently underway in Harare, Ambassador Mutandiro said 62 percent of the El Nino years have been characterised by reduced rainfall activity.....

 https://www.herald.co.zw/breaking-news-el-nino-threat-looms/

2018-19 rainfall forecast out today

The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) will today release the 2018-19 national rainfall forecast to guide stakeholders, in various sectors. Farmers have already started preparations for the 2018-19 summer cropping season.

The 2018-19 National Climate Outlook Forum comes after Sadc member-states met last week in Zambia for the 2018-19 seasonal climate outlook for the region.....

 https://www.herald.co.zw/2018-19-rainfall-forecast-out-today/

Normal to below normal rains expected this season

SOUTHERN African countries have been urged to prepare for the worst for the 2017/18 rainfall season, after a regional forecast released over the weekend showed there will be a drought in the first half of the season and floods in the second.

According to an outlook released by the Southern African Development Committee (Sadc), Climate Services Centre (CSC) at a climate forum here, there will be normal to below normal rains from October to November and normal to above normal rains from January to March 2018.

Source.

"Normal to below normal rains expected this season", The Chronicle, viewed 28 August 2017,  http://www.chronicle.co.zw/normal-to-below-normal-rains-expected-this-season/