By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, December 2, Mana: The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS) has advised lake users to take necessary precautionary measures due to the coming week of strong winds over water bodies and thunderstorms within vicinity.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency on Monday, Head of Public Weather and Aviation Services at DCCMS, Yobu Kachiwanda said from 2 to 8 December rough conditions will be experienced over water bodies of Lake Malawi and Lake Chirwa, as other parts of the country will experience partly cloudy and hot weather conditions with generally isolated showers.

“The people with small boats need extra care and if they observe an increase in wind speed they have to go offshore. Beach villages need to stay indoors, avoid open fields, tall trees and metal objects,” said Kachiwanda.

He added that Blantyre is expected to have more sun but on Thursday it will experience some changes of isolated rains, leading other parts of the district to face heavy rains on Friday.

Chairperson for Mangochi Sub Fisheries Association, Amidu Kalulu commended DCCMS for the weather forecast saying the message has come at the right time and it will help to reduce the increase of falling overboard cases.

“Fishing hooks and rods can be dangerous if not handled with care. As such, we as farmers must utilize the message provided by the department. As part of avoiding risks which occur due to climate change, we will involve our fellow farmers in sensitization,” said Kalulu.

According to the department, during the past week many areas experienced windy, overcast and hot weather, accompanied by thunderstorms which were locally heavy, resulting in significant damage in some areas with the maximum temperature reached 43.0 degrees Celsius at Ngabu in Chikwawa.

The most noteworthy rainfall over a 24-hour period was 181mm recorded at Mwaulambo in Karonga followed by Nkhatabay meteorological station which reported 113.3mm on November 30, 2024.