swaziland times

MBABANE – Extreme heat is expected this summer.

This was confirmed by meteorologist Lucky Sigudla, who said forecasts showed the heatwave would get worse. Sigudela said the Swaziland Meteorological Department will release a full seasonal forecast in mid-September 2024. Sigudela said climate change projections show that hot weather will become the norm, so people need to get used to it. He said the first two months (June, July and early August) saw suppressed convection and precipitation. He said this is normal in winter as Swaziland is located in the summer rainfall zone. Sigudela said weather conditions have no impact on rainfall, adding that it is expected to continue in the coming months.

rainfall

He said that starting from October, rainfall will be above normal. According to Sigurdla, La Nina is expected to appear from September to November and last until the austral summer of November to January 2024, when above normal rainfall is expected. “La Nina is usually associated with above normal rainfall in the country, and its impact is usually felt in the late rainy season (starting from November),” Sigurdla said. La Nina occurs every three to five years, but sometimes it occurs for several years in a row.

Meanwhile, Sigurdla mentioned that experts from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region will convene the Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF) in Harare, Zimbabwe on August 20, 2024 to develop a regional climate forecast. He said that member states will then be expected to scale back and issue their respective national forecasts. However, he said that the preliminary forecasts from the Global Climate Centre showed a greater chance of below-average rainfall in July, August and September.