- Strong winds swept through parts of Nairobi on the evening of October 22, sending thick clouds of dust into the air
- One Nairobi resident said he had never witnessed such dusty conditions in six years of living in the city
- The Kenya Meteorological Service had earlier linked delayed short rains to low-pressure systems stalling the ITCZ over the Indian Ocean
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Nairobi residents were left shaken on the evening of Thursday, October 22, when unusually powerful winds tore through several parts of the city, churning up thick clouds of dust that sharply reduced visibility and left many people bewildered.
Source: Facebook
The winds were felt most strongly in areas including South C and Nairobi West, where residents reported conditions far outside what they normally experience.
One resident, Carpathia Mzungu, described his shock at the severity of what unfolded.
"Just now, suddenly there was a very strong wind around Nairobi, mainly South C and Nairobi West. The winds brought some clouds of dust, extremely dusty! Initially it felt like rain was coming, but it was just dust . This does not look normal. In 6 years here, I've never seen Nairobi so dusty!" he said.
The event unfolded against a backdrop of widespread public anticipation around the onset of El Niño rains, which many Kenyans have been watching closely.
What Kenyans Said About the Nairobi Dust Storm
The incident ignited a wave of reactions online, with some attributing the conditions to environmental damage while others offered meteorological explanations.
@Rhodes wrote: "Consequences of cutting down trees which were acting as a natural barrier. Mambo bado, wacha January ifike with heatwaves. Nations protect the tree while desert guys are spending billions to make their cities green."
@Kones offered a detailed opinion of the situation:
"This could be a sign for El nino, it's a phenomenon where dry gust of ocean is pushed to the land and another gust of rain bearing current flow the other way, currently in S.A - Chile, Bolivia La Nina. We often confuse the two El nino -dry, La Nina wet."
@Melvin:
"Same here in Kimbo. Very Dusty, very strong winds. What’s not going on. Upto 21km/h."
When Will El Niño Rains Arrive?
As earlier reported, the Kenya Meteorological Service (KMS) shed light on why rainfall has been slow to arrive during what should be the October to December short rains season.
Hannah Kimani, Director of Public Weather Services at KMS, explained that the formation of low-pressure systems over the northern Indian Ocean disrupted the natural movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the weather system responsible for driving Kenya's short rains.
Under normal conditions, the ITCZ shifts southward between October and December, triggering rainfall across various parts of the country as it moves. Kimani noted that while some areas had already recorded the onset of rains before the disruption, the stalling of the ITCZ left other regions experiencing unexpectedly dry conditions, leaving residents waiting longer than usual for the season to fully establish itself.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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