MET says cold, wet weather will continue

Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (MET) says most parts of the country will continue experiencing cold and wet weather conditions for the next two days.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the department said the chilly, cloudy and windy conditions as well as locally heavy rains are expected from Monday to Thursday this week.

MET has attributed the cold weather to the influence of cool and moist south easterly air mass.

Reads the statement in part: “Mwera [south easterly] winds will be blowing over our lake water bodies including over Lake Malawi with wind speeds exceeding 40 kilometres per hour and are nonetheless expected to weaken by Thursday on 30th June, 2022.

“However, most areas over Malawi are expected to experience sunny intervals during daytime and very cold at night time and during early mornings.”

In an interview yesterday, MET director Lucy Mtilatila advised the public to ensure that children, the elderly and people with chronic conditions are properly dressed in warm clothes.

She also advised motorists to reduce speed, use low beam headlights and observe distance rules as the dense fog has the potential to reduce visibility.

Mtilatila also said flu attacks are common during cold conditions.

She said: “Safely use a supplemental electric heater for rooms of houses. The weather is also associated with strong winds and high waves on the lakes so lake users are reminded to be cautious.”

In a separate interview, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences professor of epidemiology and public health Adamson Muula said cold weather has several health implications.

He observed that most fire accidents particularly involving children and people with epilepsy happen during the cold weather when they use charcoal burners (mbaula) to stay warm.

Said Muula: “If we have epileptic patients, let’s ensure that they take their medicine as directed by medical personnel and should stay away from fire, or they should be closely monitored.

“Flames of fire trigger epileptic patients to collapse. So if a family has one warm cloth, I would say it should be prioritised to an epileptic patient.”