Hot weather persists in Namibia

While dam levels are dropping at an alarming rate countrywide, Namibians won’t find any relief soon, insofar as rain is concerned in the coming days, because hot and dry conditions persist and tempertaures are soaring into the scorching mid-thirties. The bleak picture unfolded yesterday when the latest seven-day weather forecast of the Meteorological Services indicated no prospects of relief from the blistering heat of the first half of November – the month in which the rainy season should have taken off. According to the Meteorological Services, the current situation is caused by an upper-high system over Botswana, which suppresses air moisture from forming rain clouds. Namibians got their hopes up earlier this week with solid cloud formations every afternoon, but those hopes were dashed because of the upper-high system to the east that acts as a blanket and prevents the rain from falling. Temperatures exceeding 36 degrees Celsius have been recorded at various places in the country, but this cannot be described as a heat wave. Of real concern is the rate at which the levels of all major dams in the country have dropped, because there have been no inflows in the past year. The declining water levels in the dams represent on average drop of some 38 percent in the central, eastern, southern and northern regions. Levels in two of the country’s biggest and most important dams, the Hardap and Naute dams in the south have dropped from 59.2 percent in November 2012 to 29.3 percent and from 75.4 percent to 59.0 percent respectively. The Swakoppoort Dam is only 46.8 percent full, compared to last year when the level of the dam stood at 78.1 percent during the corresponding period. The Von Bach Dam also experienced a drastic drop in its level from 88.9 percent last year November to the current 54.8 percent. The only dam in the country with a full capacity is the Goreangab Dam outside Windhoek. Water levels in the dams supplying Windhoek have dropped on average to about 38.8 percent of their full capacity, while the figure stood at roughly 69.0 percent last year. Dams in the Gobabis area dropped on average from 75.1 percent to 38.8 percent, and in the south from 61.1 percent to 35.7 percent. The Olushandja Dam is the only dam in the northern areas with water at a level of 19.8 percent, while the Omaruru Delta Dam and the Omatjenne Dams are empty. Rundu was the only town which received more than 20mm of rain in the past 48 hours. The town measured 24.4 mm on Tuesday and at the time of going to print, more rain was forecast for Rundu and Ondangwa, while residents of Windhoek are also likely to see some of the first rains of the new season this afternoon. According to the forecast, these downpours over the northern and central areas will only last for a short while, since more hot weather conditions and sunshine is predicted for most parts of the northern, and all of the central and southern areas. The only other places that received some rain since Tuesday are Nkurunkuru (7mm), Okongo (3.2mm), Tsumeb (0.3mm), Ondangwa (0.6mm) and Katima Mulilo (1.2mm). No stations reported any rainfall in the south, while Keetmanshoop residents will have to endure a sweltering 39.1 degrees Celsius. The countrywide forecast for today (with minimum and maximum temperatures expressed in degress Celsius is as follows: Aroab (21/34), Aus ( 12/29), Buitepos (14/34), Eenhana (16/35), Gobabis (21/33), Grootfontein (19/32), Hentiesbay (14/16), Karasburg (16/30), Katima Mulilo (19/38), Khorixas (20/33), Lüderitz (10/18), Maltahöhe (21/34), Mariental (23/35), Noordoewer (20/31), Okahao (18/35), Okakarara (19/33), Okaukuejo (20/32), Okongo (19/33), Omaruru (18/32), Omuthiya (17/34), Ondangwa (21/35), Opuwo (16/30), Oranjemund (15/30), Oshakati (18/33), Oshikango (19/34), Otjinene (20/37), Otjiwarongo (19/31), Outapi (20/34), Outjo (18/30), Rehoboth (18/33), Rundu (21/37), Sesfontein (19/38), Swakopmund (13/21), Terrace Bay (11/17), Tsumkwe (19/33), Tsumeb (21/34), Walvis Bay (12/20), Windhoek (13/32). Interior: Partly cloudy and hot to very hot with a few thundershowers, except in the Zambezi and south. Wind: Fresh south-westerly in the south and central areas. Coast: Fog patches at first otherwise partly cloudy and cool. By Deon Schlechter