Dry spell to follow pre-season rains—Met

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has said the rains currently falling in some parts of the country since Friday are the pre-season rains (chizimalupsa) which will cease soon before first rains start in earnest.

However, the department was cautious on advising people on planting, saying that is the preserve of Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development.

In an interview on Tuesday, the department’s head of public weather services, Eleanor Kululanga, said the country might experience a sunny and dry period over the weekend because usually when the pre-season rains fall, they are followed by a sunny period and then whole process repeats itself until the normal rains begin.

“What we are getting at the moment is just the chizimalupsa kind of rains which is primarily a build-up of the normal rains. At the moment, we cannot predict when the normal rains will begin, but the chizimalupsa rains being experienced is a sign that the rains are nearer,” she said.

Kululanga said it is normal for chizimalupsa rains to fall for a day or two before being followed by sunny days.

Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development principal secretary Erica Maganga requested for a questionnaire on advice to be given to farmers regarding planting. n