The country’s Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has predicted that most parts of Malawi will experience good rains in 2021/2022 rainfall season which begins this coming October.
This is according to the Director for the department Jollam Nkhokwe who was speaking on Thursday at a press briefing which was held at MET offices in the commercial city of Blantyre.
Nkhokwe said global models are projecting a weak La Nina conditions this season a situation which encompasses unusual cooling of waters over the Eastern Central Equatorial Pacific Ocean which are known to bring more rains over Southern Africa including Malawi.
He therefore said that climate analyses on past La Nina years which include; 1996/97, 2000/01, 2008/09, 2011/12 and 2017/18 shows that the country had normal onset, progression and cessation of rains, with generally normal to above-normal total rainfall amounts.
“Every time when we reaches these dates, every farmer asks him or herself how will the rainfall be like this season? So we are saying the forecast implies that during the 2021/2022 rainfall season, there is a high chance of many parts of the country receiving good rainfall amounts,” said Nkhokwe.
He however warned that as usual other weather events such as floods and dry spell will not spare the country and has since urged all those living in flood prone areas to relocate to higher grounds.
“However, extreme weather events such as heavy rains leading to floods are likely to occur in prone areas while some parts of the country may experience pockets of prolonged dry spells during the season. So those in prone areas should relocate to safer areas,”
added Nkhokwe.
The Director has since urged people in the country to adhere to warnings and advisories on extreme weather events including tropical cyclones which he said will be issued during the season.
Users from the agricultural sector has also been encouraged to first seek advice from the Ministry of Agriculture when applying this forecast in decision making such as when to plant
