GLEN DON|| 2023/10/04
El Nino is a term in Spanish meaning "the Little Boy." The first full name initially used to refer to El Nino was "El Nino de Navidad," this is so because El Nino phase typically peaks around December.
It is called so because fishermen off the West coast of South America were the first to notice appearances of unusually warm water that occurred at the year's end.
El Nino conditions occur when the surface of the water in the equatorial Pacific becomes warmer than average and east winds blow weaker than normal.
The opposite of El Nino is called La Nina.
The El Nino events occur irregularly at two to seven-year intervals.
During the phase of El Nino, the water is cooler than normal and the east winds are stronger.
World Meteorological Organisation predicted that it is 90% that El Nino rains will be evidenced in almost all tropical parts of the world. This means that Kenya will also experience El Nino rains within the short rain period of October, November, and December and may extend to January 2024, this is according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
The last El Nino rains were experienced in the year 1997 and that was the worst ever in Kenya, although Kenya experienced El Nino-driven rains in 2006, its effects were not as intense as in 1997.
EFFECTS OF EL NINO
Since there will be endless short rains within the period of October, November, and December, it must come with effects depending on the intensity of the rainfall, the effects ranges probably may be worse or even too extreme.
National Geographic Society argues that El Nino has an impact on ocean temperatures, the speed and the strength of ocean currents, the health of coastal fisheries and local weather.
The effects are not limited to water or oceanic water. El Nino can cause a range of impacts such as heavy rainfall and drought in certain geographical locations around the world, this is according to Michelle L'Heureux, Climate scientist at the Climate Prediction Center. Terrestrially there will be droughts in some parts, floods, crop failures due to irregular patterns of rain, and looming food shortages due to low production of agricultural crops.
Kenya Meteorological Department still holds that El Nino speculation is still on.
The Lake Victoria Basin, the Central, and parts of the South Rift Valley, the Highlands West of the Rift Valley, the Coast, North-Eastern Kenya, and the majority of the South -eastern lowlands are likely to experience rainfall above-average rainfall.
The weatherman is now urging farmers to take chance on the opportunity to increase crop cultivation and pasture production in order to capitalise on the anticipated increased amount of rainfall.
In addition, the department has warned that flashfloods are possible in low-lying areas of the Northern regions, the Southeastern lowlands, the Coastal region, parts of the Rift Valley, and inadequately drained urban areas.
Kenyans are now advised to be ready to take cautionary measures to avoid rain-related accidents such as lightning, and flooding among others. Lightning-prone areas such as Lake Victoria Basin and Western parts of the country, particularly Kisii, Kisumu, Nandi, Kakamega, and Bungoma, residents from these areas are advised not to seek shelter under trees or near metallic structures.
Reminiscent of 1997 El Nino in Kenya remains to be the most horrid one, a lot of preparation is needed to make Kenya such that the previous should not come at re-birth.
nice but improvement is needed
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