July unusually cold, wet - Experts
Jul 29, 2007
PARTS of Kampala flooded yesterday afternoon after a heavy down-pour hit the city for almost one hour. Cars on Old Port Bell Road waded through ‘lakes’ of water, at some point reaching up to the windscreens. Kalerwe and Bwaise slums were also partly submerged.
By Gerald Tenywa
PARTS of Kampala flooded yesterday afternoon after a heavy down-pour hit the city for almost one hour. Cars on Old Port Bell Road waded through ‘lakes’ of water, at some point reaching up to the windscreens. Kalerwe and Bwaise slums were also partly submerged.
The rains, that have been pounding Kampala and the eastern shores of Lake Victoria, are part of a changing weather pattern, according to the Meteorology Department.
“Although July is not supposed to be completely dry, the down-pours have been unusually heavy and frequent this month,†said Aloysius Kagoro, a principal meteorologist at the environment ministry. “The eastern part of the country in particular got an exceptionally high rainfall.â€
The heavy rain is likely to interfere with the harvesting of seasonal crops in eastern Uganda, where maize is both a food and cash crop, Kagoro predicted.
He said the western parts of the country had been mostly dry. A detailed report, containing a review of this month and a weather forecast for next month, is to be released soon.
Kagoro also noted that the temperatures of July have been exceptionally low compared to previous years.
He attributed this to climate variability, which refers to change in weather patterns in a short period of time.
Environment minister Maria Mutagamba believes the current rains are a result of climate change.
“Climate change is hard to reverse. The only thing we can do is adapt to the changes. It is important to take advantage of the rains through harvesting the water,†she said. Other sources said the prevailing winter conditions in southern Africa were to blame for the cold weather in eastern Africa.
They are reportedly also responsible for the formation of mist, that has been observed more frequently in the recent past.
PARTS of Kampala flooded yesterday afternoon after a heavy down-pour hit the city for almost one hour. Cars on Old Port Bell Road waded through ‘lakes’ of water, at some point reaching up to the windscreens. Kalerwe and Bwaise slums were also partly submerged.
The rains, that have been pounding Kampala and the eastern shores of Lake Victoria, are part of a changing weather pattern, according to the Meteorology Department.
“Although July is not supposed to be completely dry, the down-pours have been unusually heavy and frequent this month,†said Aloysius Kagoro, a principal meteorologist at the environment ministry. “The eastern part of the country in particular got an exceptionally high rainfall.â€
The heavy rain is likely to interfere with the harvesting of seasonal crops in eastern Uganda, where maize is both a food and cash crop, Kagoro predicted.
He said the western parts of the country had been mostly dry. A detailed report, containing a review of this month and a weather forecast for next month, is to be released soon.
Kagoro also noted that the temperatures of July have been exceptionally low compared to previous years.
He attributed this to climate variability, which refers to change in weather patterns in a short period of time.
Environment minister Maria Mutagamba believes the current rains are a result of climate change.
“Climate change is hard to reverse. The only thing we can do is adapt to the changes. It is important to take advantage of the rains through harvesting the water,†she said. Other sources said the prevailing winter conditions in southern Africa were to blame for the cold weather in eastern Africa.
They are reportedly also responsible for the formation of mist, that has been observed more frequently in the recent past.