Expect more rains before Dec – NIMET

Director of Weather Forecast Services, Nigerian Metereological Agency, NIMET, Mr. Ifeanyi Nnodu, on Wednesday in Abuja, said Nigerians should expect more rains before December.
Nnodu, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, however, said the rains would not come with flooding.
He said that the rainy season was gradually coming to an end, adding that the rain for the remaining part of the year would be windy but without flooding.
He said that the northern part of the country would witness fewer rains than the Eastern, Western and the Southern parts.
Nnodu said the rains would be accompanied with heavy dusty winds which usually reduced visibility to pilots and might cause flight hazards.
He advised pilots to make regular use of the weather and climate forecasts released by the agency during the season.
He said: “The pattern of rain we have now is usually associated with winds.
We are not expecting rains that may lead to flooding like we had across the country in the past few months, because the rains are coming to an end and the soil is becoming dried enough to absorb more water.
“More rain is expected across the country. We are gradually coming to the end of the rainy season in the far North and it will progressively come to the Middle Belt and other parts of the country but there would be gaps in between the rains.
“Normally, the winds are accompanied with dust from the Sahara Desert which may cause airlines to delay their flights and that may have some economic effect on the airlines because there will be more flight delays and cancellations.”
He said the dusty season would be extended to January 2013.
It will be recalled that the Director-General of NIMET, Dr Anthony Anuforom, had warned Nigerians to take precautions against violent winds that might occur during the dry season due to the effects of climate change.
He cautioned people to avoid staying under trees during the period.
“We are transiting now from rainy to dry season; the kind of things we may experience are violent winds, therefore, we advise people to avoid staying under trees.
“The reason why we alert people is for them to know ahead of time and take necessary precautions.
We don’t have the ability to prevent natural disasters, but the ability to observe what the weather is and inform the people early.
“Part of the mandate of the Ministry of Aviation is safety and we, as an agency under it, have keyed into it,” Anuforom said.
He noted that forecasts by the agency if strictly adhered to could help save the situation.
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