Slim chance of good rain
• Light rain in first, last weeks of November
With El Niño still present until April 2024, temperatures will remain high to very high.
Some rain is possible in the first week of November over the northern parts of Namibia and towards the middle of the southern parts of the country.
In a climate report, agricultural meteorologist Johan van den Berg yesterday said, in general, conditions are not favourable for significant rain.
Light rain is possible in the last week of November, he said.
According to him, the El Niño development is in progress and will be present for the rest of the season until about April 2024.
“Maximum temperatures will remain high to very high.”
Cause for concern
Van den Berg explained that in Namibia, El Niño in more than 70% of years correlated with below-average rainfall.
There is, therefore, cause for concern for below-average rainfall this summer, he added.
“Some advice for summer grain farmers is to ensure that soil water management is well taken care of. Weed control, type of cultivation and planting date will be crucial this season.”
He added that they should also try to convert production areas with poor soil water-holding capacities to crops suitable for grazing.
Forecast
For the maize triangle situated between Tsumeb, Otavi and Grootfontein, between 15mm and 20mm of rain is possible from 1 to 15 November, with maximum temperatures between 29 to 38 degrees Celsius, Van den Berg said.
For the Hochfeld area, 5mm to 10mm might fall from 2 to 4 November, while maximum temperatures will be between 30 to 38 degrees.
Meanwhile, for the Hardap area, less than 10mm of rain is expected from 9 to 11 November and maximum temperatures will range between 31 and 41 degrees.
In a climate report, agricultural meteorologist Johan van den Berg yesterday said, in general, conditions are not favourable for significant rain.
Light rain is possible in the last week of November, he said.
According to him, the El Niño development is in progress and will be present for the rest of the season until about April 2024.
“Maximum temperatures will remain high to very high.”
Cause for concern
Van den Berg explained that in Namibia, El Niño in more than 70% of years correlated with below-average rainfall.
There is, therefore, cause for concern for below-average rainfall this summer, he added.
“Some advice for summer grain farmers is to ensure that soil water management is well taken care of. Weed control, type of cultivation and planting date will be crucial this season.”
He added that they should also try to convert production areas with poor soil water-holding capacities to crops suitable for grazing.
Forecast
For the maize triangle situated between Tsumeb, Otavi and Grootfontein, between 15mm and 20mm of rain is possible from 1 to 15 November, with maximum temperatures between 29 to 38 degrees Celsius, Van den Berg said.
For the Hochfeld area, 5mm to 10mm might fall from 2 to 4 November, while maximum temperatures will be between 30 to 38 degrees.
Meanwhile, for the Hardap area, less than 10mm of rain is expected from 9 to 11 November and maximum temperatures will range between 31 and 41 degrees.
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