Malawi to have dry spells—MET Department

The Meteorological (MET) Department says Malawi is likely to experience dry spells in the rainy season due to warming up of water in the Pacific Ocean, also referred to as El Nino conditions.

Director of Met Department Jolamu Nkhokwe said this in an interview on Tuesday.

Nkhokwe, however, said the department could not cite specific areas which will be affected by dry spells as findings were based on a climate forecast which covers large areas.

“The seasonal forecasts show that there is a 25 percent chance for below normal rainfall and this is an indicator that prolonged dry spells are inevitable in some areas of Malawi.

“With the issue of climate change, the department cannot give a time-frame when the whole country will receive rain. Last year, Malawi received rainfall at once which was strange because rains begin in the Southern Region and proceed to the North.

“There is a 40 percent chance that Malawi will have normal rains and 35 percent chance of above normal rainfall which may lead to floods in low lying areas such as Nsanje. This forecast, however, is only relevant for seasonal time scales and relatively large areas,” said Nkhokwe.

He said Mimosa in Mulanje has so far recorded the highest rainfall at 66.2 millimetres as of November 18.