Expect extreme weather changes'

MBABANE – We can expect further extreme weather changes in the future because the seasons in Swaziland have shifted by at least a month.

The department of meteorology has said this is caused by global climate change. They say the seasons have shifted by a whole month and that normal temperatures have added or increased by at least one degree. Traditionally, summer started in October and lasted until March, but Director of Meteorology Emmanuel Dlamini said: "The seasons have been shifted by a month, hence summer and winter have been affected too."

He said it is no longer rains at the expected time. He said the data shows that, in a normal summer season, the country should have already experienced rainfalls by this month, marking the beginning of the season. The rains, he said, assist farmers to prepare their land for farming. "However, rains have not started yet and our data indicate that the rains now start in December. We have also noted that winds are usually experienced in July but that has not happened (this year). It has been worth noting that the winds are experienced in October," Dlamini said.

He said temperatures have also shown a slight increase when compared to those recorded in previous years.

"The seasons are in motion and this will result in extreme weather change," Dlamini warned. The department has also explained what caused Wednesday night’s storm.

Senior Weather Forecaster Dennis Mkho-nta said the storm that was experienced on Wednesday night was caused by a very low pressure system that was heading east.

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