Business Post Contributor
By Bliss Okperan
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has predicted the likelihood of dust haze and thunderstorms from Monday to Wednesday across the nation.
Its weather outlook obtained on Monday projected dust haze with a visibility range of 1km to 3km and localized visibility of less than or equal to 1,000m over the northern region.
“Thunderstorms are expected over parts of Kogi, the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa and Benue states in the afternoon and evening and parts of Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Cross River, Rivers, Lagos, Delta and Akwa Ibom states during the morning hours,” the organisation said.
Reports also showed that localized visibility of less than or equal to 1,000m is anticipated in some areas, with thunderstorms expected later in the day, particularly in parts of Taraba state.
“There are prospects of thunderstorms over parts of Taraba state later in the day. Thunderstorms are also expected over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa and Niger states in the morning while visibility values are expected to be between 2 km to 5 km over the North Central states due to the dust in suspension,” it stated.
It was disclosed that in the North Central states, visibility values are expected to range between 2 km to 5 km due to suspended dust, with thunderstorms predicted in various regions, including the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, and Benue states during the afternoon and evening. In the southern states, thunderstorms are expected during the morning hours.
NiMet anticipated moderate dust haze on Wednesday with a visibility range of 2km to 5km over the North throughout the forecast period.
“In the afternoon and evening hours, thunderstorms are expected over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Kwara, Benue and Nasarawa states. Cloudy skies with sunshine intervals are anticipated over the Southern region in the morning hours,” NiMET said.
The organisation advised the public to take necessary caution and avoid driving and walking through floods due to flash floods as a result of the heavy rainfall.
It also urged all airline operators “to avail themselves of weather reports and alerts periodically from NiMet for effective planning for their operations,” advising disaster risk managers, agencies and individuals to “be proactive to avert loss of lives and property during the rainy season.”
The agency appealed to citizens of the country to adhere to safety precautions as strong winds were likely to precede and accompany the thunderstorms.
