Do you wonder about the excessive November rain keeping harmattan away?
There is an explanation for the incessant rainfall noticed in November when Nigerians expect to be drifting towards the harmattan season. It seems the prolonged wet season is leaving everyone hanging.
Usually, there is less rainfall approaching the year-end, particularly in November, but this month has been quite spectacular, leading to prolonged flooding which can disrupt planting activities for farmers and keeps the harmattan season farther away.
Based on the readings made by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NiMET) in a statement released today, climate change has much to do with the dysfunction which has affected large swathes of the north where a lot of farming activities take place.
The agency understands this to be a baffling phenomenon to the public, which is why there has been information being shared to explain the strange behaviour.
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According to NiMET, “climate variability is the main factor responsible for this phenomenon” being discussed.
This development, says the agency, “results in [the] modulation of natural atmospheric processes which contributes to short-term fluctuations in weather, due to both natural and anthropogenic influences on the global atmospheric processes, which has given way to changes in patterns of weather and climate conditions in the atmosphere.”
But this is not peculiar, NiMET admits. It views human-made actions, especially relating to the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation as the chief lead. This behaviour has reportedly led to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
All these factors combined promote the warming of the planet, and therefore the unusual volume of rainfalls that Nigerians have been seeing. The upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP28) holding in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates from 30 November until 12 December 2023 may possess the answer to some of the climate change problems facing Nigeria.
It won’t immediately correct the irregular rainfall pattern being experienced around here as this will take years to repair. What can be expected is a room to further conversations with scientists and world leaders towards arriving at a long-term result.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
