Here’s the explanation for heavy rainfall currently pounding the country
Weather experts have explained the cause of heavy rainfall that is currently being experienced in the country resulting in flash floods and landslides in some parts of the country.
According to the experts, the heavy rains have been enhanced by a phenomenon called the Indian Ocean Dipole which, when positive, can cause a rise in water temperatures in the Indian Ocean of up to 2C.
This leads to higher evaporation rates off the East African coastline and this water then falls inland.
The term dipole means two “poles” or two areas of differences.
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) measures differences in sea-surface temperatures between the western Indian Ocean (western pole) and the eastern Indian Ocean south of Indonesia (eastern pole).
The East Africa region lies on the Western part of the Indian Ocean while countries like Australia and Indonesia are on the Eastern part of the Indian Ocean.
A Positive Indian Ocean Dipole – irregular oscillation or variation of Sea Surface Temperatures – occurs when the western part of the Indian Ocean becomes significantly warmer than the eastern side of the Indian Ocean.
A Negative Indian Ocean Dipole occurs in the reverse; areas in the Eastern Indian Ocean over Australia and Indonesia are warmer while the Western Indian Ocean will be experiencing cooler conditions.