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He said the rains may also cover Malindi, Mtwapa, Msambweni, Lungalunga and Lamu areas and will in addition make it difficult for sailors to navigate the sea/FILE

Kenya

Coastal region to be battered by rains

He said the rains may also cover Malindi, Mtwapa, Msambweni, Lungalunga and Lamu areas and will in addition make it difficult for sailors to navigate the sea/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 9 – Heavy rains, that are likely to cause flooding, are expected at the Coast region with Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi being the hardest hit.

In a statement sent to newsrooms on Tuesday Director of Kenya Meteorological Services Joseph Mukabana said the rains should be expected any time now as the country prepares itself for the onset of the short rains season.

He said the rains may also cover Malindi, Mtwapa, Msambweni, Lungalunga and Lamu areas and will in addition make it difficult for sailors to navigate the sea.

“The expected rainfall is likely to cause some flooding in various parts of the south coast and it is also expected that the seas will be rough and the visibility over the neighbouring ocean will be poor,” he said in a brief statement.

Mukabana further noted that the central highlands, north western areas together with the northern and south eastern lowlands would also experience above average rainfall while Nairobi and western Kenya would experience near average rainfall.

“Most parts of central highlands, north western, the northern parts and the south eastern lowlands of the country are expected to experience near average to slightly enhanced rainfall,” he pointed out.

The weatherman added that the rains would gradually increase in intensity from October 10 to October 14.

“The forecast for the next five day period indicates that the coastal strip will receive 5 to 20 millimetres in 24 hours rainfall especially the southern coast on the October 9 and increase to 20 to 50 millimetres,” he explained.

October normally marks the onset of the short rains which end in December over most parts of the country.

He explained that the expected weather conditions were driven by warmer than average Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) over the Equatorial western Indian Ocean that is adjacent to the East African Coast coupled with cooler than average SSTs over the Equatorial eastern Indian Ocean (adjacent to Australia).

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“This situation is referred to as Positive Indian Ocean Dipole,” he said.

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