Heat Wave Warning Issued for Kenya and Eastern Africa

Kenya and the wider Eastern African region are bracing for a significant heat wave, according to a forecast issued Friday, February 21, by climate scientists at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Climate Predictions and Application Centre (ICPAC).

The advisory highlights potentially severe impacts on human health and agricultural activities across the region. The areas expected to experience the most intense heat stress include Eastern Kenya, South Sudan, Eastern Tanzania, Southern Sudan, and Southern Somalia. Southeastern Sudan is projected to face temperatures exceeding 32°C.

Across much of the Greater Horn of Africa, including Kenya, temperatures are forecast to range between 20°C and 32°C. Some relief is expected in Northern Sudan, the Ethiopian highlands, and Central and Western Kenya, where temperatures are predicted to remain below 20°C. Coastal regions of Somalia and Kenya may also experience cooler-than-usual conditions.

The impending heat wave coincides with predictions of light rainfall—less than 50 millimetres—in southern and central Tanzania, parts of coastal Kenya, and southwestern South Sudan. The Kenya Meteorological Department has also issued an advisory anticipating sunny, dry, and hot weather across most of the country for the coming week.

Their report indicates maximum temperatures exceeding 30°C in most areas, excluding the Highlands east of the Rift Valley, along with strong southeasterly winds surpassing 25 knots (12.9 meters per second) in portions of northwestern and northeastern Kenya.

This latest forecast underscores the increasing vulnerability of the region to climate change, with experts emphasizing the potential for long-lasting impacts on both ecosystems and local populations.