Rain is normal — GMet

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) says the rain that caused flooding in parts of Accra on Thursday was normal.
The agency said the rain, which measured about 250 mm, was consistent with its prediction that Ghana would record low rainfall across the country this year.

The Director of Research and Applied Meteorology of the GMet, Mr Charles Kweku Yorke, told the Daily Graphic that June was supposed to be the peak of the rainy season.
He said the flooding that hit parts of Accra and led to loss of lives was partly because the rain had been persistent for three consecutive days.
He said the rain for the June 1 and 2 soaked the soil and that of June 3 (Thursday) spread, hence the flooding.
He said the heaviest rain recorded in a day in the country was in 2009, which was 300 mm.
However, Mr Yorke said, the three days consecutive rains recorded from last Monday to Wednesday (June 1-3, 2015) in Accra were the heaviest in the last 10 years.
He said the rain would break for some days before it would start again. He indicated that the intensity would not be more than what happened last Wednesday.

Flooding

Mr Yorke said the flooding was mainly due to the building on water courses and the indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and gutters.
He, therefore, cautioned the public against the practice of blocking water courses and throwing rubbish into the drains.
Mr Yorke advised people to avoid touching metal electrical poles or coming out to turn their antennas during downpours.

Recall

The GMet early this year predicted that Ghana would record low rainfall across the country this year.
Besides, it said there would be early cessation (short rainy season) for almost the whole country this year.
The GMet, therefore, urged Ghanaians to conserve water and asked farmers to go for short lifespan crops.
It said there would be late rainfall onset dates for the coastal sector while erratic rainfall was also expected in the coastal zone.
It said the northern and middle sectors would experience normal to late onset dates, and indicated that most stations would experience dry spells (dry periods after rains).
This year’s seasonal forecast figures were collated at the 2015 Climate Outlook Forum held in Benin this month.