Somali Magazine – The majority of the Horn of Africa is likely to see high rains between January and March 2024, as a result of recent El Nino rains, according to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) on Friday.
The Nairobi-based institute said in its forecast that wetter-than-usual weather are expected over the region’s southern and equatorial parts, which include Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, southern Uganda, and southwestern and northeastern Ethiopia.
“Normal to dry than normal conditions are expected over a few areas in central Kenya, and northern and western Tanzania,” the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said.
The Horn of Africa region is normally dry following the October-December short rain season, however climate change is altering the weather pattern.
Northern Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia are among the worst-affected locations, with temperatures ranging from 32 to 40 degrees Celsius.
The Horn of Africa has seen dramatic shifts in weather patterns in the recent year, with the severe drought ending in March 2023, followed by El Nino rains in October and large rains forecast in January 2024.
According to the World Food Program, the extended drought has left 23.4 million people hungry and 5.1 million children acutely malnourished.
Floods induced by El Nino rains killed over 300 people and displaced millions in Somalia, Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, according to the International Conference on Climate Change.