Fishermen warned over strong winds at sea

LUDOVICK KAZOKA

The TMA Director General, Dr Agnes Kijazi.

TANZANIA Meteorological Agency (TMA), has cautioned sea users including fishermen and residents of Coastal areas over strong winds today exceeding 40km per hour and large waves exceeding 2.0m.

TMA acting Head Analyst, Mr Elias Lupiki, told the ‘Daily News’ in Dar es Salaam that the strong winds that started on Sunday would end today.

The storm would affect the coastal areas in Tanga, Lindi, Mtwara and Dar es Salaam Regions together with Unguja and Pemba Islands. He explained that the strong winds were due to the existence of a deep low pressure zone over the Mozambique Channel that has resulted in strong northerly winds.

He noted that sea users and residents of the area to be affected should take necessary precautions. Mr Lupiki pointed out that the coastal areas including those in Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Lindi, Mtwara and Coast Region would receive rain showers recording lowest temperature at 22 degree centigrade and the highest temperature at 33 degree centigrade.

Last month, Dar es Salaam city recorded the highest temperature at between 33 and 34 degrees centigrade, followed by other coastal cities of Mombasa in Kenya and Mogadishu in Somalia.

Other cities in the continent where temperatures peaked are Luanda in Angola (30-31 degrees C) and Khartoum in Sudan with the average of 26 to 31 degrees C, contrary to cities to the north of Africa that are near the Sahara Desert where temperatures are between 17- 26 degrees centigrade.

Mr Lupiki further said South Coast comprising Lindi and Mtwara Regions would experience cloudy conditions, thundershowers over some areas and sunny intervals, adding that heavy rains are likely to pound some areas.

The TMA recently said Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Kilimanjaro Regions will get rains outside the normal rain season, noting that the October, November and December seasonal rains are over.

The TMA Director General, Dr Agnes Kijazi, told this paper that there would be above normal rainfall in Ruvuma, Rukwa, Iringa and Mbeya regions that will go on until April, urging the public to take all precautions.