The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has announced that more than 100 millimetres of rain fell in Katsina in a single day, the highest in 100 years.

Speaking at the sideline of the Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF)-African Swift Workshop on the pre-tested 3 users and co-production workshop organised by Organised by NIMET, and SWIFT in Abuja, NiMet Director-General/CEO Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu said the north is experiencing its peak of raining season which will be characterised with flashes of floods.

He said;

“We have previously predicted between July and September 2021,  there will be an intensity of the rain and enhancement of soil moisture, we will have a lot of overland flow leading to flash floods or riverine foods. The climate change events is also helping to induce and increase the intensity of extreme weather events. 

“For instance, recently in Katsina state, in our stations we witnessed 100mm of rain in just a single day. It has never happened in over 100 years. It shows that these extreme events are being driven by climate change. 

“The average rain is usually not more than 30mm in a day.  This is 1/3 of the annual rainfall in Nguru and 1/6 of rain that Katsina receives in an annum that it received in a day.  This tend to lead to high flashfloods, erosion, and segment generation which now causes siltation in the rivers and also affecting supplies.”

On the possibility of floods in the north, Matazu said; “Weather moves in zones and Zone C categorized into C1, C2, C3 is lying over the northern part of the country. This is why we have a lot of rain in north right now. We have been witnessing a lot of rain in Katsina, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Niger and other parts of the north.  Most of the northern states are receiving their peak rain now. We are more vulnerable in the north now."