Kenyans living along the coast have been put on high alert after the Kenya Meteorological Department flagged a weakening low-pressure system, which could bring heavy rains and strong winds over the coming days.
In an alert on Sunday, the weatherman revealed it was keeping a close eye on tropical storm Chenge, which was moving slowly across the Indian Ocean.
According to the Kenya Met, Chenge was located 500 kilometres north of Madagascar as of Sunday, October 26, but was moving westward at about 11 kilometres per hour.
When the storm hits the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania, it is predicted to bring high waves, strong winds, and a lot of rain.
"Chenge, a weakening system over the SW Indian Ocean, is moving west at 11 km/h about 500 km north of Madagascar with winds of 55 km/h, gusts up to 75 km/h, and pressure near 1000 hPa," a statement from Kenya Met stated.
Chenge started as a low-pressure area over the southwest Indian Ocean and has winds blowing at around 55 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching up to 75 kilometres per hour.
The encouraging bit is that Chenge is losing strength as it nears the Kenya-Tanzania coastline. Despite this fact, however, the system still carries enough moisture and energy to cause a considerable amount of rainfall and rough sea conditions along the Kenyan coastal belt.
Effectively, the Kenya Met warned residents of coastal counties such as Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu and Malindi to brace for heavy downpours and strong winds exceeding 25 knots.
With this rainfall comes the risk of flooding, particularly in low-lying and poorly drained roads, especially if the rains continue for several days in the coming week.
"It’s expected to dissipate near the Tanzania–Kenya coast by Tuesday. Heavy rains are likely over several parts of the country with strong coastal winds exceeding 25 knots," Kenya Met added.
The most affected parties on the coast in the coming week following the alert will likely be fishermen and small boat operators, who may be compelled to cease operations for the next few days since marine activities could prove dangerous under incoming weather conditions.
Inland regions which fall near the coast, including Kwale, Taita Taveta and Tana River, are also likely to experience heavy rainfall and localised flooding.
It is also worth noting that while Chenge is expected to weaken completely by Tuesday, its remnants could still influence weather patterns several days afterwards through cloudy skies and scattered showers in parts of the country.
