Surprising shift in weather experienced on Tuesday, more cold weather expected

Staff Reporter

TUESDAY’S unexpected weather conditions, which left some parts of the Hardap and Otjozondjupa regions covered in hailstones, starkly contrast with the conditions experienced during the previous month.

This sudden shift in weather, indicative of the swiftly changing seasons, caught many by surprise, despite the prior warning from the Namibia Meteorological Services that this week would be particularly cold in some parts of the country, along with anticipated rainfall in several regions, including Hardap, Khomas, and Otjozondjupa.

As predicted, these regions witnessed light to moderate rainfall at the beginning of the week. Rehoboth in the Hardap Region, for example, recorded 5 millimetres (mm) of rain between Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

However, while Rehoboth experienced light rainfall, the surrounding areas were hit by a severe hailstorm, resulting in the roads leading to Rehoboth being covered in hailstones. This was evidenced by widely shared photos and videos, with Informanté also sharing a video on Tuesday evening showcasing the disruptive impact of the hailstorm on road usage near Rehoboth.

Similarly, Okahandja in the Otjozondjupa Region also encountered a heavy hailstorm on Tuesday, as depicted in various online photos and videos. While these two locations garnered significant attention during the week, other places also received precipitation, primarily in the form of rain.
Windhoek, for example, recorded 20.2mm of rain at Hosea Kutako Airport and surrounding areas, as well as 2.4mm at Eros Airport and surrounding areas between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Additionally, Tsumis in the Hardap Region, Tsumkwe in the Otjozondjupa Region, and Claratal in the Khomas Region received 7.8mm, 4mm, and 0.2mm of rain respectively during the same period.

Even the North was not entirely exempt from Tuesday’s rainfall, with Onghwiyu in the Ohangwena Region receiving 2mm of rain and Alex Muranda and Nkurenkuru in the Kavango West Region recording 1.9mm and 0.8mm of rain respectively during that time.

These rain measurements were shared by the Namibia Meteorological Services, which also forecasted that additional rainfall is anticipated in the north-eastern and eastern parts of the country on Thursday. This prediction further suggests that the majority of the interior regions will have warm to hot temperatures, while the South will experience colder conditions on Thursday.