The dry spell or drought that the South African maize belt has experienced for two weeks is set to extend to four weeks with very little rain forecast in the two weeks from now until Christmas.
“The chances of rainfall in the next two weeks are very, very slim as no strong weather system is forming. There is a high pressure system over South Africa’s interior that is preventing the development of rainfall,” a South African Weather Service forecaster said on Thursday.
After nine months of below-normal rainfall from February to October, November was a good month for rainfall in the maize belt, but the country reverted to dryness again from Thursday November 27.
The pre-summer below-normal rainfall has resulted in very low soil moisture, which will have a direct impact on the final yield of the current 2003/04 maize crop.
“The first chance of rain again is on Monday and Tuesday next week. On Monday there is a 40% chance of rain for the entire maize belt, with 1mm to 8mm on the cards, and over 20mm in parts of Mpumalanga,” Weather Service forecaster Evert Scholtz said on Thursday.
“On Tuesday there is a 20% chance of rain. After Tuesday, the chances of rain fade. There is a 20% chance of rain again from Thursday December 18 through to Sunday December 21,” he added.
“There is rain forecast from Monday December 22 through to Thursday December 25, but it’s not going to be significant,” Scholtz said.
An El Niño event is starting to show itself but it is still weak, he added.
From December to the end of February, below-normal rainfall is forecast, Scholtz said. — I-Net Bridge