Even you have felt it. It’s hot, very hot. It feels as if the sun isn’t just beating down but breathing fire.
A five-day weather forecast issued by the Kenya Meteorological Department shows that most parts of the country are dominated by dry spells and will continue to experience sunny and dry weather conditions in the coming days.
In the highlands east of the Rift Valley which includes counties such as Nairobi, Embu, Meru, Kiambu and Murang’a, the forecast shows that temperatures could go as high as 38 degrees Celsius while for those in Northwestern, which covers Samburu and Turkana counties could be in for an even hotter weather with the maximum temperature expected to go as high as 39 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures are expected to be warmer than average over the whole country during the forecast period. However, some parts of the country in the South Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin and the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall.
The World Meteorological Organisation suggests that January was the hottest month on record, a trend seen for much of last year which was recorded as the hottest year in history.
The upcoming climate outlook from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) anticipates specific climate conditions for the period spanning March to May. Initial insights suggest heightened heat stress across various regions. Particularly, eastern Tanzania, eastern Kenya, southern Somalia, and significant portions of South Sudan are projected to experience elevated levels of heat stress during this timeframe.
With Kenya coming out of an El Nino phenomenon and the ethereal flutter of white butterflies, which led to a speculation of imminent weather shifts, it is easy to think of the current weather condition as unexceptionally unusual.
