Above normal rains forecasted for May

By David Luganda, AFMC

NAIROBI, Kenya – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) has predicted above normal rainfall over Kenya, eastern Uganda, Rwanda, central Burundi, and Somalia, much of Ethiopia, eastern South Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea and Sudan in the month of May.

“Normal rainfall likely over much of western Tanzania, areas in the western border of South Sudan, western Uganda, and localized areas in central Ethiopia, “says a press release by ICPAC on Thursday 23^rdApril, 2020.

ICPAC is part of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa. Its mission is to foster, through a whole set of programs, sub-regional and national capacity for climate information, prediction products and services, early warning, and related applications as a contribution to sustainable development in the IGAD sub-region.

On the temperature forecast, ICPAC said warmer than normal temperatures likely over much of Uganda; parts of western and southwestern South Sudan; southern part of Ethiopia; central, coastal and part of eastern Kenya; western Rwanda; coastal Tanzania; and the central to northern tip of Somalia.

“Normal temperatures likely over much of Tanzania, northern half of Kenya, Burundi, much of South Sudan, much of Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, and northwestern and southwestern Somalia,” the release said

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National institutions are advised to coordinate their interventions to reduce risks including floods, mudslides and landslides.

Meanwhile,  FAO’s Locust Watch, situation update as of 21 April 2020 says “during May, the eggs of locusts will hatch into hopper bands that will form new swarms in late June and July, which coincides with the start of the harvest in East Arica.” according to FAO report.