It’s official: The rainy season was below par

NEWLY released rainfall figures compiled by the Meteorological Service officially confirm what many Namibians have suspected all along: that most of Namibia experienced an abnormally dry rainy season.

The north-eastern regions of Namibia and a part of the Kalahari around Gochas are the only areas where normal to above-normal rainfall was recorded in the 2006-07 rainy season, according to the figures. Below-average rainfall was recorded in the rest of the country, with places in the Karas and Kunene regions experiencing an especially dry rainy season.Rundu and Gochas were the only places that received above-average rains from October to the end of April, the Meteorological Service’s figures show.All of the figures provided are well below the rainfall totals measured across Namibia during the unusually wet 2005-06 rainy season.INTERPRETING THE FIGURES With 579,9 millimetres recorded at Rundu, the Kavango town’s total rainfall for the 2006-07 season is about 102 per cent of its annual average of 565 mm.In the previous rainy season, Rundu’s rainfall totalled 687,7 mm.At Gochas, 201,8 mm of rain was recorded from October to the end of April.That figure is 114 per cent of that town’s average total annual rainfall of 176 mm.In the 2005-06 season, Gochas received 337 mm of rain – close to twice its average annual rainfall.Katima Mulilo received 631 mm of rain from October to the end of April, according to the official figures.That represents about 97 per cent of that town’s annual average of 653 mm.Wilde – a rainfall measuring point in the Grootfontein area – is the only other place monitored by the Meteorological Service where rainfall close to the annual average was received the past rainy season.At Wilde, 400,5 mm was measured this past rainy season, according to the Meteorological Service.This represents 99 per cent of Wilde’s average annual rainfall total of 404 mm.In other parts of the country the rainfall situation appears much bleaker.Windhoek experienced its fifth wettest rainy season on record in the 2005-06 season, when 716 mm was measured at the Meteorological Office in the centre of the city.That was the highest rainfall total to be measured at the Met Office in over 50 years – since the 1953-54 season, to be exact.This year, only 254 mm of rain was recorded at the Met Office.That represents 72 per cent of the average seasonal total measured at that monitoring point since the first rainfall records were recorded there in 1893.GRIM AND GRIMMER From Ondangwa in the north to Khorixas in the east and Karasburg in the south, the past season’s rainfall was also well below average.With a total of 366 mm, Ondangwa received about 82 per cent of its annual average.Khorixas is even drier this year.Only 68 mm of rain – 31 per cent of the average annual total – was recorded at the Kunene Region town from October to the end of April.In the 2005-06 rainy season, when 485,7 mm of rain was recorded there, Khorixas received more than twice its average annual total of 220 mm.The Karas Region also saw none of the exceptional rains of the 2005-06 season this past rainy period.Whereas Keetmanshoop received a total of 269 mm in the 2005-06 season, only 58,7 mm was measured at the town in the rainy season that followed.At Karasburg and Aus the situation is even grimmer.At Karasburg 208 mm was recorded in the 2005-06 season; this past season, only 17,1 mm – 13 per cent of the town’s annual average rainfall of 128 mm – was recorded there.At Aus, 225 mm of rain was recorded in the 2005-06 season.In the 2006-07 season, no rain at all was recorded at Aus, according to the Meteorological Service.According to the Namibia Agricultural Union, its Livestock Producers Organisation affiliate was meeting this week to assess the state of grazing across the country after the rainy season.The situation does not look promising though, it has been indicated.Below-average rainfall was recorded in the rest of the country, with places in the Karas and Kunene regions experiencing an especially dry rainy season.Rundu and Gochas were the only places that received above-average rains from October to the end of April, the Meteorological Service’s figures show.All of the figures provided are well below the rainfall totals measured across Namibia during the unusually wet 2005-06 rainy season.INTERPRETING THE FIGURES With 579,9 millimetres recorded at Rundu, the Kavango town’s total rainfall for the 2006-07 season is about 102 per cent of its annual average of 565 mm.In the previous rainy season, Rundu’s rainfall totalled 687,7 mm.At Gochas, 201,8 mm of rain was recorded from October to the end of April.That figure is 114 per cent of that town’s average total annual rainfall of 176 mm.In the 2005-06 season, Gochas received 337 mm of rain – close to twice its average annual rainfall.Katima Mulilo received 631 mm of rain from October to the end of April, according to the official figures.That represents about 97 per cent of that town’s annual average of 653 mm.Wilde – a rainfall measuring point in the Grootfontein area – is the only other place monitored by the Meteorological Service where rainfall close to the annual average was received the past rainy season.At Wilde, 400,5 mm was measured this past rainy season, according to the Meteorological Service.This represents 99 per cent of Wilde’s average annual rainfall total of 404 mm.In other parts of the country the rainfall situation appears much bleaker.Windhoek experienced its fifth wettest rainy season on record in the 2005-06 season, when 716 mm was measured at the Meteorological Office in the centre of the city.That was the highest rainfall total to be measured at the Met Office in over 50 years – since the 1953-54 season, to be exact.This year, only 254 mm of rain was recorded at the Met Office.That represents 72 per cent of the average seasonal total measured at that monitoring point since the first rainfall records were recorded there in 1893.GRIM AND GRIMMER From Ondangwa in the north to Khorixas in the east and Karasburg in the south, the past season’s rainfall was also well below average.With a total of 366 mm, Ondangwa received about 82 per cent of its annual average.Khorixas is even drier this year.Only 68 mm of rain – 31 per cent of the average annual total – was recorded at the Kunene Region town from October to the end of April.In the 2005-06 rainy season, when 485,7 mm of rain was recorded there, Khorixas received more than twice its average annual total of 220 mm.The Karas Region also saw none of the exceptional rains of the 2005-06 season this past rainy period.Whereas Keetmanshoop received a total of 269 mm in the 2005-06 season, only 58,7 mm was measured at the town in the rainy season that followed.At Karasburg and Aus the situation is even grimmer.At Karasburg 208 mm was recorded in the 2005-06 season; this past season, only 17,1 mm – 13 per cent of the town’s annual average rainfall of 128 mm – was recorded there.At Aus, 225 mm of rain was recorded in the 2005-06 season.In the 2006-07 season, no rain at all was recorded at Aus, according to the Meteorological Service.According to the Namibia Agricultural Union, its Livestock Producers Organisation affiliate was meeting this week to assess the state of grazing across the country after the rainy season.The situation does not look promising though, it has been indicated.