Malawi weather warning issued: Heavy thunderstorms, mores floods

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has warned of heavy rains that will result in flooding, particularly in lakeshore areas and central plains of the country.

According to the Department,  the country will experience heavy thunderstorms and heaviest rainfall.

The Department’s Director Jolamu Nkhokwe said in the statement this is due to the deep low pressure system  embedded within the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

“As of Sunday, 29 December, most areas in the country are expected to experience heavy thunderstorms starting from the northern areas spreading into central and southern areas with heaviest rainfall episodes over central and lakeshore areas due to a very deep low pressure system embedded within ITCZ which will be oscillating over Malawi while dumping heavy rains which are likely to cause floods along the lakeshore areas and central plains of the country with the extreme south experiencing very reduced rainfall, ” says Nkhokwe.

He, however, says from Thursday, 2nd January to Sunday 5 January 2020, most areas in the south, centre and north there will be a reduction in rainfall

Nkhokwe claims that the reduction in rainfall activities will come about because of isolated to scattered thunderstorms to due to warm airflow from the eas.

He therefore advised Malawians to be “Weather-ready and Climate Smart by religiously paying undivided attention to the continuously available daily and weekly weather updates from the Department.

During the 2018-2019 rainy season, neary 1 million people were severely affected by floods, which claimed 56 lives across the country.

Districts that were affected include Chikwawa Nsanje, Chiradzulu, Blantyre, Karonga,  Rumphi, Mangochi,  Nkhotakota,  Zomba, Mzimba, Phalombe, Thyolo, Mulanje and Machinga.

President Arthur Peter Mutharika declared a state of disaster and called on aid agencies and foreign governments to come to the rescue of affected people who mostly sought refuge in camps and primary schools.