MORE FLASH FLOODS EXPECTED NEXT WEEK

MBABANE – The country might experience other flash floods next week.

The weather service is monitoring another upper trough. This was revealed by Eswatini Meteorological Service Meteorologist Sydney Lukhele. He was explaining the atmospheric conditions that led to most places in the country experiencing flash floods in the morning yesterday. A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low lying areas; washes, rivers, dry lakes and depression, which may be caused by heavy rains.

Flash floods are distinguished from regular floods by having a timescale of fewer than six hours between rainfall and the onset of flooding.Yesterday, the country collected the highest rainfall in a short space of time compared to the same time last year. Most places experienced flash floods that prevented a number of people from going to work due to flooded rivers. Most bridges and roads were submerged in water.

Overall, the country received 2 868.3mm of rainfall. This was the highest amount of rainwater to be collected in 28 weather stations. The aim of collecting rainwater through the rain gauge (an instrument used to measure rainfall), is to measure precipitation. Mlawula, in the Lubombo Region, recorded 204.8mm, which was the highest recording. Six other weather stations collected above 100mm by 8am yesterday.

This is according to data that was issued by the weather service. These were Nkalashane, Timphisini, Mpala, Maphalaleni, Mayiwane and Ntfonjeni. The least precipitation was still above 30mm, thus signalling that the rainfall was scattered across the country. Places that received minimum figures compared to yesterday’s rates were Moti, Bhunya, Ngwempisi and Lavumisa. The rains and flooding were intense until 11am and started to clear in most places in the country.

Lukhele explained that the rains experienced since Wednesday, were expected to last until tomorrow evening.
He said they were caused by an upper level trough. A trough is a low pressure, which forms in the upper level of the atmosphere, almost similar to cold fronts, according to weather experts.

Like cold fronts, troughs separate two different air masses usually more moist air on one side and drier air on the other side. As the trough moves towards the moist air, it lifts it. This causes clouds or even showers and thunderstorms to develop. In short, it means colder and sometimes wetter weather and tends to be associated with storms.

Moisture

“The rains were caused by an upper trough or high level trough that was in the country and delayed its movement. There was tropical moisture that ended up attracting the trough to our region, which resulted in the rains that were experienced since Wednesday and we expect them to be over by Saturday evening (tomorrow),” he said.
Further, Lukhele explained that on Sunday, there would be light rains followed by partly cloudy conditions and higher temperatures were expected on Sunday and Monday.

Despite the fact that the region was in a cyclone season, he said the flooding was a once-off. He said normal rainfall was expected in the coming days until the formation of the next trough. The meteorologist said upper trough was not determined by the season but could strike even in winter, hence it was not related to the seasons. He revealed that the department was monitoring another upper or high level trough from next week.

“Already we are monitoring another trough from next week, right now we are monitoring its behaviour,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), through its Communications Manager Wandile Mavuso urged members of the public to take extra precautions. He stated that a number of rivers in the country were flooded due to the torrential rains.

He urged members of the public who stayed in lower altitude places to move to higher places.“Informal structures such as stick-and- mud houses are in danger of collapsing as the torrential rains continue, hence it is advisable to dig trenches around such structures to redirect water,” he said.He advised farmers to remove pumps next to rivers, as they were at risk of being washed away.

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