Hailstorm go away- Nigeria

 

In the northern territories of Nigeria, there have been reports of snow and hail been seen which is considered a very rare occurrence. It was on the 13^th of September 2022 that the city of Katsina observed its latest weather phenomenon as hail was seen falling for at least an hour continuously. The locals as expected took the scenario with a great surprise as many took to social media to share the rare moment.

Snow fall is very common in certain times of the year in mostly regions in the northernmost half of the northern hemisphere and polar regions. Apart from certain areas in South Africa and mountain peaks, it is very unusual to see snow in any other parts of Africa. In Nigeria this is not the first rodeo of having the unexpected hailstorm, however it brings the question on why this occurs.

When temperatures drop below freezing, usually at least -2 degrees, snow begins to fall in those conditions. In Nigeria, which is a tropical nation, the average temperatures are between 25- 30 degrees Celsius which is considerably higher than the required for snow. The EDF (Environmental Defence Fund), explains that because we have a warmer planet evaporating more water into the atmosphere, that added moisture means more precipitation in the form of heavy snowfall or downpours. This suggests that our global warming influences why we are seeing these unusual hailstorms.

From this climate effects, there are fears that crops like maize, rice, soybeans, and others that are grown in large may be destroyed in the community of katsina because of the hailstorm. Kafur local government area chairman, Alhaji Garba Kanya, explained more than 300 farms and dozens of houses in several communities across Kafur and Danja local government areas have been destroyed because of the hailstorm. This shows the climate change could be causing unwanted consequences on Katsina locals.

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