Delayed onset of rains, El Nino conditions blamed for high temps

The Kenya Meteorological Service Authority (KMSA) says the delayed onset of the October–November–December (OND) short rains and the presence of El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean are contributing to the high temperatures being experienced across the country.

In an interview, KMSA Assistant Director in charge of Forecasts, David Koros, said the situation had been exacerbated by clear skies, which allow more heat from the sun to reach the Earth’s surface, resulting in higher temperatures.

“The reason why we have been having these high temperatures observed across the country is that we have been having a late onset of the October, November to December season,” says Koros and adds, “We have also been having almost clear skies while El Niño conditions that began in June to date are ongoing.”

Koros says the presence of the Tropical Cyclone ‘Agueda’ is also contributing to the situation, having sucked up the rain-bearing clouds. However, he notes that once the cyclone dissipates, the season will resume beginning Saturday onwards.

“The effect of the tropical cyclones which has been pulling, some of the systems has left most of the country dry leading sunny and dry weather conditions in most parts of the country, except a few pockets around the Lake Victoria Basin,” he adds.

The Head of Forecasting further notes that Tropical Cyclone Agueda has started reducing in speed and will dissipate by Saturday. He warns that the winds accompanying the cyclone could cause disruption along the Kenyan coast.

“We expect high waves in the Indian Ocean along our coast and we also expect enhanced strong winds over the coast and the eastern parts of the country,” says Koros and adds that the rainfall onset will resume beginning Saturday and spread throughout the country starting from Lake Victoria basin.

“The clouds will start building up now in places like the Coast, Eastern, including Nairobi; we are expecting some rain over the weekend,” says Koros.

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