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General news for Friday, February 26, 2021
Source: Ghana Guardian
02/26/2021
Dr. Michael Tanu, General Director of GMet
The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has said that the country should expect normal rains in most areas (accompanied by strong winds) this year.
Therefore, it has urged Ghanaians to take the necessary precautionary measures to avoid floods and other rainfall disasters.
The General Director of the GMet, Dr. Michael Tanu, made it known yesterday in an informative session on the Forecast of the 2021 Season for the country.
“We are going to have a normal start and by the first week of March (from the coast to the middle belt) most areas will experience rain.
“We also expect some parts of the north to start early because the rains normally start around May, but we expect that around April we will have the rains,” he said.
According to Dr. Tanu, Accra would receive around 700 millimeters of rain per year during a normal rainy season, while an area like Axim would have 2000 millimeters. He said that if those figures were exceeded, it meant that the areas were experiencing above-average rainfall.
“Normal rains will be accompanied by normal storms with strong winds, thunder and lightning. It could be normal but heavy, however, normal is what we are talking about here, ”he said.
He encouraged farmers to take advantage of this year’s rainy season by planting their crops early to get the desired yields, adding that “if you measure the beginning and end of the rains, you can adjust the planting of your crops within the season. “
Dr. Tanu said his team will continue to give weather warnings and urged the public to take precautions to avoid getting caught up in disasters.
Meanwhile, GMet Deputy Director and Head of Research and Applied Meteorology Ms Francisca Martey said flash floods are likely to occur in places like Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and other regional administrative centers during the period from April to June.
She said the phenomenon could lead to some roads becoming impassable and therefore warned road users to be careful when traveling those roads at such times and to also desist from driving through floods.
“Light aircraft are advised to exercise extreme caution and avoid flying through deep convective clouds associated with severe turbulence and lightning, especially in the evening hours,” he said.
Ms Martey said that the country’s disaster management sector should establish and operate an integrated early warning and monitoring system for flood risks.
He also called for a greater exchange between the agencies in charge of flood monitoring, disaster risk reduction and humanitarian aid.
