The Sunday Mail
THE rains and cold weather across much of Zimbabwe are a normal transition from summer to winter, the Meteorological Services Department has said.
A Met Department official told The Sunday Mail yesterday that temperatures were expected to continue dropping this week.
“Winter is fast approaching and we now have longer nights and shorter days so also expect the temperatures to drop as well. The cold spell has been worsened by the rains that the country is experiencing, which is really nothing out of the norm. The rains are likely to persist until later this week,” he said.
The forecaster said it was likely to be cloudy over most parts of the country with daytime temperatures subdued during the week.
The Met Department urged farmers to be cautious since the bad weather was likely to damage crops, especially vegetables.
Recently, meteorological experts warned that Zimbabwe’s climate change has occurred at a faster rate than is expected in a 30-year period, affecting seasonal patterns.
And according to a report published by Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, Zimbabwe is severely vulnerable to climate change and that is set to worsen between 2010 and 2030.
Research suggests that longer and more frequent droughts could substantially reduce crop yields including maize, a staple crop in Zimbabwe. The 2014/2015 summer cropping seasons was hit by a drought which saw crops in most parts of the country wilting.
