The Director-General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Sani Mashi, on Friday explained why heat wave occurred within March and April every year in Nigeria.
Giving the explanation during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Mashi said that March and April were regarded as transition months when air masses would bring so much heat into the country.
According to him, both southwestern and northwestern air masses bring so much heat to the country making her to witness intensive heat with serious discomfort to human beings.
”This period is hence called the heat wave.
”Heat wave in Nigeria is caused by transition between moist and wet air mass blowing over the country along a southwestern direction from the Atlantic Ocean.
”And also, dry and dusty air mass blowing over the country along a northeastern direction from the Sahara desert,” he said.
He said the northeastern air mass dominated over the country between the end of November and February of the following year.
The director-general further said harmattan condition occurred over the country with northern areas, however, having more of it.
He added that the southwestern air mass dominated over the country between May and October of every year to have rains over the country with the rains higher in southern Nigeria.
In a related development, NiMet’s 2021 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) revealed that temperature for the months of January to April usually envisaged annually to take into cognisance effects of the coldest and warmest periods of the year.
“The month of March is predicted to record normal day time temperature values in the range of 30.0 degree Celsius to 35.0 degree Celsius in the South and 35.1 degree Celsius to 40 degree Celsius in the North.
READ ALSO: 5 Arrested In S/Africa’s Biggest Banking Scandal
“These range of values could, however, vary by marginal increase or decrease of 0.1 degree Celsius to 0.5 degree Celsius to maintain normal condition in most places.
“Parts of Oyo, Ondo, Edo and Taraba States are expected to be about 0.1 degree Celsius to 0.2 degree Celsius cooler than normal,” it said.
According to NiMet, the prediction made for March 2021 indicates a high likelihood of decline in night time temperatures over the northeastern part of the country.
The agency further predicted high likelihood of decline in night time temperatures over Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara States in the Northwest, and Ebonyi, Cross River, Ogun, Lagos, Edo, Delta, Ondo and Bayelsa States in the South.
”Other regions of the country will likely experience no significant change in night time temperature in March 2021,” it added.
According to the agency, temperatures are typically warm in the country in the month of April.
NiMet warned the nation not to expect much of difference from usual in April 2021 as temperatures were expected to be normal for most places.
It forecast cooler-than-normal for a few cluster like Taraba and part of Adamawa, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Oyo states.
“This implies that the areas predicted to have normal temperatures in April would experience their usual temperatures while the areas predicted to be cooler-than-normal would experience temperatures from 0.1 degree Celsius to 0.4 degree Celsius lower than usual.
`’Normal night time temperatures are expected this month in the South and most of the central states.
“The north east, parts of Plateau, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Lagos and Ogun states will likely experience cooler night-time temperature conditions,” it said. (NAN)
