Climate Change: Observatory issues flood, hailstorm alerts for NW, SW, warns of ‘high temperature gradient
By Hans Ngala
The National Observatory on Climate Change in Cameroon has warned that the North West and South West regions are at increased risk of flooding. The Observatory said that due to “prolonged daily rains for successive days, and intense short duration rainfall”, localities in both regions such as Ajung, Bamenda, Kimbi, Ako, Nkor, Mbengwi, Menji, Bokwango, Bovia, Limbe and Buea, were especially vulnerable.
The weather forecasts and alerts were issued on June 11 for the period 11 to 20 June.
The Observatory also warned that the North West was going to witness hailstorms resulting from a “high temperature gradient and high variability in windspeed and direction”.
Just four days after the warning, the town of Limbe in the coastal South West, experienced a heavy downpour that flooded downtown Limbe. The floods happened as members of President Paul Biya’s Cameroon’s People Democratic Movement Party (CPDM) were convening a local meeting of the party where former Prime Minister, Mafany Musonge was supposed to officially install Prof. Prof Nalova Lyonga as head of the CPDM in Fako Division of the South West.
Photos taken by CNA correspondent for the South West, Tatah Nchengang, showed the party’s supporters sitting in grey run-off water.
In November, dozens of people were reported dead on the Dschang Cliff following a massive landslide which occurred after heavy rains. The road was blocked for several days and it took rescue teams weeks to pull bodies from beneath the dirt.
The current extreme climate patterns in West Africa come as the South African Weather Service (SAWS) also warned of a “cold front” on June 17 and 18 that is “expected to slip south of the country on Tuesday afternoon, resulting in north-westerly to westerly damaging winds of 35 to 55km/h gusting up to 60 to 75km/h between Cape Point and Plettenberg Bay”.
While this time of year is Winter in the Southern Hemisphere, the South African government seemed ill-prepared for the heavy snowfall and rains that have led to nearly 100 deaths in the Cape provinces of South Africa as of the time of writing this report.
