Several places in the West Pokot highlands are expected to receive rainfall, above its long term average during the March-April-May long rains season, according to the county weatherman’s findings.
During the dissemination of County Climate Outlook Forum on the long rains seasonal weather forecasts at the Kilimo House in Kapenguria, the County Director of Meteorological Services (CDMS) Wilson Lonyang’ole, said the rains are expected to descend in the third week of March 2025 although a bit late in the lowland areas.
Lonyang’ole said the lowlands may receive near to below average rainfall, compared to the normal rains in the highlands.
“The distribution of rainfall both time and space are expected to be poor to fair in the highlands and undefined poor rains in the lowlands as the season progresses to May, hence the need for concerned sectors to develop appropriate advisories to aid farmers make informed decisions,” stated the CDMS.
The met director explained that the peak of the rains is expected to be in April over most places as cessation of the rains continues into June 2025.
“This is just a seasonal forecast, but we shall continue giving more specific weekly, daily and hourly updates as time goes by, since weather is dynamic and not static, hence the need for shorter forecasts for increased accuracy,” stated Lonyang’ole.
He said the highest rainfall range within the highland areas will be between 300-400mm and the below normal rains experienced in the lowlands will be between 100-250mm.
On temperature outlook, he revealed, the county is likely to experience warmer than average conditions with increased probabilities in the lowlands.
The weatherman will be disseminating the weather forecast through the local radio stations, where airtime had been secured so as to reach more residents.
At the same time, the County Director of Agriculture Phillip Ting’aa underscored the value of timely weather forecasting, noting that the initiative will help the government to plan its activities.
Ting’aa decried that the county was at risk of disasters if the residents continued engaging in cultivation of seasonal crops along the steep slopes of the escapements.
He advised residents to embrace tree planting saying it is an equally profitable venture that is environmentally sustainable unlike the cultivation of seasonal crops that are endangering the stability of the ecosystem.
“As a department, we have established a tree nursery at Aramaket with many fruit tree seedlings in preparation for the March-April-May long rains. Residents are free to visit and buy them, so that they can boost the average tree cover within the county to avoid cases of floods and landslides,” appealed the Director.
By Richard Muhambe
