The Sunday Mail
Weather experts predict that areas around the Great Dyke might experience heavy rains today while most parts of the country are also expected to be wet.
According to the Meteorological Services Department, most provinces are expected to be cloudy, hot and humid with rain showers and light thunderstorms.
All Mashonaland provinces, Harare Metropolitan Province, Manicaland Province, North of Midlands Province as well as much of Matabeleland North Province are forecast to be cloudy, hot, humid with rain-showers and light thunderstorms every now and again,” read part of a statement from the MSD.
“The rest of the country should be mostly partly cloudy with rain-showers and isolated light thunderstorms.”
The MSD said due to the high temperatures in some areas, there might be violent storms.
“Please be advised that because of high temperatures, these storms may be violent and accompanied by hail and damaging winds,” said the department.
“The rest of the country however, should be partly cloudy with rain showers and isolated light thunderstorms.”
With the country having experienced heavy rains for the past few weeks, the rains are expected to continue during the festive season.
The MSD has since predicted that this season, areas like Harare, much of Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, North Eastern parts of Midlands and parts of Manicaland will receive normal to below normal rainfall.
Normal to above normal rainfall is expected in Masvingo, Southern parts of Manicaland and most parts of Matabeleland South.
The good rains have given farmers hope of a good agricultural season.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union President Mr Wonder Chabikwa said the rainfall pattern is favourable and most farmers have reverted to their old farming methods.
Last season, farmers had to adjust farming techniques after an alert of low rains had been issued by the MSD.
“This season is teaching us to go back to our old ways of farming. Some farmers had started growing crops in wetlands, but with the current rainfall trends, it means those areas will be water-logging,” he said.
“We also advise farmers to drain excess water from their fields through creating waterways so that crops are not affected.”
Zimbabwe has high hopes of a good agricultural season with programmes such as Command Agriculture having been launched.
The programme targets about 400 000 hectares under maize crop with expectations of a harvest over two million metric tonnes of the staple grain.
