Met dismisses reports of imminent Mombasa storm as 'fake news'

The Meteorological service has discounted a message in circulation claiming that there is a tropical storm in the Indian Ocean headed towards the Kenyan coast.

Peter Ambenje, the director at the Kenya Meteorological Services, said the message is fake news.

“That storm thing is not from us. There is no storm headed to Mombasa,” said Mr Ambenje in an interview on the phone.

HEAVY RAIN

The message has been in circulation most of today, Friday, and is accompanied by images purporting to have been taken using satellite.

It is accompanied by another graphic that is the actual statement by the weather forecaster, but which does not contain information about the said imminent storm.

On Friday, the weather forecaster said that heavy rainfall is expected to continue over most parts of the country for the next five days with parts of the Central, Western, North Eastern and South Eastern areas of Kenya receiving more of the rains.

He said that the rainfall is expected to be over 50mm, which is very heavy rain and may cause floods in low lying areas and urban areas with poor drainage systems.

“Wet weather spell which is being experienced is expected to continue over several parts of the country for the next five days. The heavy rainfall is likely to continue on Saturday over counties around the Rift Valley, south eastern, Northern, Central parts of Kenya including Nairobi area and the Coast but with reduced intensities,” Mr Ambenje said.

He said that Nairobi, Nyeri, Kiambu, Nyandarua, Muranga, Embu, Meru, Kitui, Machakos, Makueni, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kisii, Nyamira, Kericho, Bomet and Nakuru Counties will be mostly affected by the heavy rainfall.

Others are Narok, Migori, Nandi, Baringo, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Vihiga, Bungoma, Homa Bay, Busia, Kisumu, Siaya, Garissa, Kakamega, Kajiado, Marsabit, Samburu and Isiolo.

Mr Ambenje has warned residents of urban areas and low lying areas, to be on the lookout for the floods and should not walk into moving water or drive through the water at high speed.

Those living in lightning prone areas have also be warned against sheltering under tall trees or next to grilled windows in the houses or walking in open fields while it is raining.

“You are once again advised not to attempt to walk in moving water or drive through since the water can be deeper and fast moving than it appears. Drivers should avoid over-speeding because the roads become slippery and visibility is also reduced when heavy rains occur. Keep to safer grounds until the flooding subsides,” said Mr Ambenje.

According to the latest five-day forecast released by the weatherman on Friday covering between March 16 and March 20, counties lying in the Lake Victoria Basin and along the Rift Valley including Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Trans Nzoia, Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Nandi, Laikipia, Nakuru, Narok, Kajiado, Kericho, Bomet, Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma and Busia will experience morning rains and heavy showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon over several places throughout much of forecast period.

North western counties of Turkana, West Pokot and Samburu will experience morning rains over few places mainly bordering Uganda with afternoon showers and thunderstorms expected over few places for the five days of the forecast.

Nairobi, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Kiambu, Meru, Embu, and Tharaka Nithi counties will experience morning rains over several places in the morning throughout the forecast period giving way to showers in the afternoon and occasional thunderstorms with temperatures falling to lows of 8 degrees celsius.

Interestingly, the usually dry North Eastern counties of Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Isiolo will also experience a similar weather pattern for the next five days with temperatures ranging between 16 degrees and 39 degrees celsius.

South Eastern lowlands counties of Kitui, Makueni, Machakos and Taita Taveta will experience morning rains over few places giving way to afternoon showers over few places throughout the forecast period.

Mombasa, Tana River, Kilifi, Lamu and Kwale counties will experience showers in the morning and the afternoon for the next five days.