Nairobi, Coast, Western Kenya Set for Rain as Heat Persists in Arid Areas
NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 14 – The Kenya Meteorological Department has projected increased rainfall activity across several parts of the country in the week of April 14 to 20, even as high daytime temperatures persist in arid and coastal regions.
In its weekly forecast, the department said rains are expected in parts of the Highlands east and west of the Rift Valley, the South Rift Valley, the southeastern lowlands, the Coast and northeastern Kenya.
Western Kenya and the Lake Victoria Basin including counties such as Kisumu, Kakamega and Kisii are likely to experience morning rains followed by afternoon showers and thunderstorms, which may occasionally spread to several areas. Night showers are also expected in a few places.
In the Highlands east of the Rift Valley, including Nairobi and surrounding counties, mornings are expected to be cloudy with occasional rains before giving way to sunny intervals. Afternoon and night showers are likely over a number of areas.
The coastal strip including Mombasa, Kilifi and Lamu is expected to receive showers at different times of the day, while parts of northeastern Kenya such as Mandera, Wajir and Garissa may experience intermittent rainfall despite prevailing heat.
However, northwestern counties including Turkana and Samburu will largely remain sunny during the day with partly cloudy conditions at night, with only isolated cases of rainfall expected in northern Turkana.
The department warned that daytime temperatures will exceed 30°C in the Coast, northeastern and northwestern regions, as well as in parts of the southeastern lowlands. Towns such as Lodwar and Mandera are expected to record highs of up to 37°C and 38°C respectively.
At the same time, cooler night-time temperatures dropping below 10°C are expected in parts of the central Rift Valley and the Highlands east of the Rift Valley, including Nyahururu and Laikipia.
Dry Conditions
The forecast follows a relatively dry spell between April 6 and 12, during which rainfall was recorded in only a few parts of the country.
The meteorological department said the highest rainfall during the period was recorded at the Marine Port Office station in Mombasa, which received 97.6 millimetres over seven days, including 89.6 millimetres within 24 hours on April 9.
Daytime temperatures increased across although a few stations along the Coast and in western Kenya recorded slight declines. Night-time temperatures also rose in several areas, except in a few stations such as Laikipia, Kericho and Nyahururu, where a decrease was observed.
Lodwar recorded the highest daily maximum temperature at 38°C on April 11, while Nyahururu registered the lowest minimum temperature at 6.2°C on the same day.
The department has advised the public to keep track of daily and five-day forecasts for more localized updates, noting that weather conditions may vary significantly across regions.