Brace for rainy season, weather experts warn

Kampala. Weather experts have announced the start of the March to May rainy season, warning that showers will be characterised by thunder and hailstorms.
The forecast done by the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA), said farmers are free to start planting their crops since the rains have started in many parts of the country.
“Overall, there is an increased likelihood of near normal with slight tendency to above normal rainfall over several parts of the country with [the] exception of some parts of Karamoja and cattle corridor in south-western Uganda,” reads in part, UNMA forecast, a copy of which this paper has seen.
“The rainfall during this season is also highly expected to be characterised by severe isolated thunderstorms and hailstorms in some parts of the country,” adds the forecast. The forecast is officially expected to be released tomorrow in Kampala.
Uganda has two rain seasons---March to May and September to December being the second.

Investment
Being being an agricultural country where farmers rely mainly on rain-fed agriculture, governments in East Africa have been investing in proper weather forecasting to improve its accuracy in order not to misled farmers.
Between February 11 and 12 this month, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Climate Prediction and Applications Centre and partners, organised a meeting in Entebbe, under the Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum, where scientists, decision makers both in government and civil society stakeholders discussed the forecast before individual countries could downsize it.
The countries’ representatives met under the theme, ‘Preparedness Actions to Climate Related Risks for Safe and Resilient Communities’.