Kenya Met: Nairobi may miss out on heavy El Niño rains
A Kenya Met official says cool Indian Ocean conditions could keep heavy El Niño rains away from Nairobi, as happened in 2015. The agency still forecasts rain in parts of all 47 counties from November 10 to 16.
El Niño may not bring the heavy rains many expected, at least not to Nairobi. Some areas may have to wait longer for the rains, said Richard Muita, deputy director of Eastern Region Meteorological Services. Some may not get them at all. He spoke on Spice FM on Wednesday, Kenyans.co.ke reported. Muita said El Niño drives weather patterns around the world but does not guarantee rain. According to Kenyans.co.ke, he said the World Meteorological Organisation had put the likelihood of El Niño at near 100 per cent. That raised hopes of heavier than normal rains. But the outcome also depends on the Indian Ocean Dipole, he said, whose main indicator is sea temperature off the East African coast. When the Indian Ocean runs warmer than normal alongside El Niño, Kenya can get a lot of rain. When it is cooler, the rains are weaker. Muita pointed to 2015 as an example. That year brought a strong El Niño, but a weak Indian Ocean meant less rain than expected. "We are looking at a similar scenario at the moment," he said. Kisumu and other areas have already had heavy rain, with flooding and damaged…
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