Torrential rain in Nairobi, Kenya, late last week caused severe flooding, resulting in at least eight deaths and two attributed to electrocution. More than 70 vehicles were trapped or stranded as heavy thunderstorms overwhelmed the city’s drainage systems.
Nairobi Flooding: Rainfall Exceeds Monthly Average
The Kenya meteorological department issued a moderate to heavy rainfall warning for much of the country from Tuesday, March 3 to Monday, March 9, anticipating the heaviest rainfall between Wednesday and Saturday.
Areas including Westlands, Dagoretti, Roysambu and Embakasi were forecast to receive between 30mm and 70mm of rain daily. However, a station in Nairobi recorded 112mm of rainfall between 6 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday.
This amount exceeds the average March rainfall for the station, which is 92.2mm, by more than 120%. While such events are rare, a station record of 189.1mm was recorded within 24 hours in May 2015. March and April 2018 also experienced exceptionally wet conditions, though the rainfall was spread over a longer period.
Kenya experiences two distinct rainy seasons due to its location just south of the equator and the movement of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). The current heavy downpours are part of the “long rains” season, triggered as the ITCZ shifts northwards between March and May. A second wet period, known as the “short rains,” occurs between October and December with the southward migration of the ITCZ.
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