Heavy rains mean less destruction, experts now say

Cyclists wade through flooded streets in Kisii town after a heavy downpour on Friday. Leaders in Kisii have asked locals not to shelter under trees to avoid lightning incidents during the El Niño rains. [Photo: Denish Ochieng/Standard]

As Kenya and its neighbours continue to wait for the long expected El Niño, every country is putting measures in place to mitigate the possible effects of the impending rains.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says although this will be the strongest El Niño witnessed since the 1997-98 deluge, its effects, it is believed, will be less destructive. El Niño conditions were formally declared by all major climate forecasting centres in May 2015. The latest forecasts suggest the current rains will continue to be strong and could strengthen in the coming months.