The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rainfall

  • NiMet predicts cloudy, rainy, weather conditions for Sunday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states of the country on Sunday morning.

    The predictions are contained in the Weather Outlook, issued by NiMet’s Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Saturday in Abuja.

    It said that there would be localised thunderstorms over areas like Abuja, Lokoja, Makurdi and Lafia during the afternoon and evening hours.

    It predicted that the coastal areas would experience cloudy conditions with localised rain showers in the morning and localised rains over the entire coast in the afternoon and evening hours.

    It also predicted that inland areas would experience cloudy conditions and localised rain showers in the morning, with chances of localised rains over the region in the afternoon and evening hours.

    NiMet said the Northern states would experience partly cloudy conditions in the morning, with sunny conditions in the afternoon and evening hours.

  • Torrential rainfall claims two Lives in Kano

    Heavy rainfall in Tudun Wada Local Government Area of Kano State have claimed two lives and destroyed cash crops worth millions of Naira.

    The Chairman of the Local Government Council, Ibrahim Nayola, who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Kano, said the rain which lasted for many hours caused flooding and destroyed many buildings.

    Mr. Nayola said he had already visited the affected areas to assess the magnitude of the damage caused by the downpour.

    He sympathized with the victims and expressed sadness over the incident describing it as an Act of God.

    He also urged the victims to be patient as efforts were being made to provide them with relief materials to alleviate their suffering.

    He said the council had already informed the state government through the Ministry for Local Government for possible assistance to the victims.

     

  • Lagos to experience 260 days of rainfall

    Lagos to experience 260 days of rainfall

    Lagos State is expected to experience 260 days of rainfall this year with the maximum annual rainfall predicted to be 1,824mm, Commissioner for Environment Tunji Bello said yesterday.

    Bello spoke at a briefing with reporters on the 2015 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction for the state.

    According to him, Lagos has been predicted to experience rainy season of between 245 and 260 days, with the maximum annual rainfall predicted to be around 1,824mm, explaining that this maximum rainfall would be experienced within and around Marina.

    He added that in general, this year’s rainfall has been predicted to have a delay onset of about two-13 days, with Lagos, Ondo, Ogun and some other states expected to have more pronounced delay onset by eight-13 days.

    “An early cessation of rainfall is predicted for most part of the country. However, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Akure, among others are predicted to have later than normal cessation.

    “In Lagos, onset dates range between March 26 and April 2, while the season ending is predicted to range between December 3 and 11. NIMET’s day and night temperature derivations for March show that the North is expected to be colder during the day while the South will be warmer,” he said.

    The commissioner noted that it was equally predicted that the southern states would be warmer than normal at night, saying, however, that Lagos Island and its immediate environs would be colder than normal.

    “Warmer than normal day and night temperature are predicted for most part of the country in April. The little dry season is predicted to occur between July 15 and August 31 in most parts of the country. However, in comparison to last August, this year is expected and predicted to be drier,” he added.

    Bello said among the new ways of improving the content of this year’s Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) was the malaria forecast, which predicted warmer than normal and high humidity at different times across the country.

    He said this high temperature and humidity were favourable conditions for the growth of pest, vectors and spreading of diseases, saying that the higher the temperature and humidity, the more rapid the life cycles of mosquitoes and frequencies in mosquitoes bites, urging the public to be well prepared.

    “Lagos State is expected to be moderately affected by mosquitoes, nevertheless, it is of utmost importance that Lagosians keep their environment clean to minimise the effects of mosquitoes,” he advised.

    He warned Lagosians against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised places and ensured daily cleaning and evacuation of silted drains around homes and premises

     

  • Don’t plant with first rainfall, farmers advised

    A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Michael Uguru, has advised farmers not to rush into planting crops following Wednesday’s first rain in the hinterlands.

    He gave the advice in Nsukka in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the new planting season.

    He said farmers who wanted to start planting following the rainfall must ensure that they stored water on their farms that they would use to water crops if the rains did not continue.

    “I advise farmers not to rush into farming as a result of the first rain, especially in the hinterland because no one knows if it will continue to rain to avoid their crops being roasted by the sun.

    “But if a farmer has enough water stored in his farm, he can plant and if the rain did not continue he will use stored water to water the crops,’’ he said.

    He said in the past years some farmers had recorded big losses as result of rushing to plant without waiting for the proper beginning of the rainy season.

    “Farmers should know the world is experiencing climate change which made it difficult most time to predict the weather.

    “It’s better to wait for the rains to come down very well than risking roasting your crops,’’ he said.

    Meanwhile, some farmers in Nsukka, Enugu State, have said they went to plant crops after this year’s first heavy rain in the town on Wednesday.

    A farmer, Mr James Urama, said after the rain, he went to plant cassava and maize in his farm the next day.

    “That rain was heavy and I know it penetrated into the soil.

    “I know the rain will continue if it does not, I have stored water in my farm that I will use to water my crops,’’ he said.

    Another, Mrs Patricia Ozioko, said she planted only maize on her farm and would wait for another rain before planting cassava and yam.

    “As soon as the next rain falls, I will then plant cassava and yam in my farm.

    “With that first heavy rain, I believe the maize will grow without much problem,’’ she said.