By Deon Schlechter
WINDHOEK – The first rains of the new year fell over the weekend and clear skies lie ahead with only patchy and moderate rainfall expected until the end of January for the most parts of Namibia.
Hopes of the first decent downpours of the new season were dashed on Saturday as the promise of rains countrywide disappeared just as quickly as the build-up of rains last Thursday.
Most Namibians will wake up to sunny skies this morning after a night of patchy and moderate rainfall in the central and north-eastern parts with temperatures slightly down to almost 30 degrees Celsius on average.
The only consolation is that moderate showers can be expected as from tonight until January 15 over most of the interior with sunny skies forecast as from January 16 until January 19. A 36 percent chance of rain is predicted for the central and north-eastern parts today with chances increasing to 43 percent on Thursday and 79 percent on Friday.
Forecasts are that patchy rain can be expected again from January 20 to January 23, and then more sunshine and scattered showers until the end of the month.
In the past 48 hours, Windhoek received 4.8 mm of rain. Figures for other areas in Namibia are Grootfontein (6.4 mm), Eros Airport (8.8 mm), Naudabib Farm (5.0 mm), Oshikango (4.6 mm) Keetmanshoop (2.4 mm), Oshakati (3.8 mm), Eenhana (1.6 mm), Oshikango (1.4 mm), Ondangwa (1.0 mm), Rehoboth (1.2 mm), Outapi (0.8 mm), Ondangwa (0.6 mm), Okahao (0.6 mm), Oshakati (0.6 mm), Tsumeb (0.3 mm), Katima Mulilo (0.3 mm), Rundu (0.2 mm), Otjiwarongo (0.2 mm).