The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) recently alerted the public of the possible commencement of the dry season, following the seizure of rainfall in most parts of the country.
Reports indicate that the dry season usually commences with harmattan, a cold and dry weather that occurs as a result of the passage of the northeast trade wind through the country.
Before now, hamattan was expected gradually in November and by December, it had spread to all the States of the federation.
It is widely acknowledged that harmattan is a unique weather in the month of December.
Because of that ,songs like ” ding dong merrily on high ,once in David’s royal city and others in this category, only hit the airwaves at the time of the year
In Lagos, music vendors had since the last weeks of November changed their line of business to reflect the mood of the season, playing more of Christmas songs.
However, Lagosians say nature has its way of drawing people’s attention to the season, and that is the unique December weather that comes with a blend of Hamattan wind, cold and bright sun rays.
The respondents regret what they describe as lack of or insufficient Hamattan in Lagos compared to the situation in their respective home states.
They however believe that the state might still experience Hamattan before the end of the Yuletide, giving the prevailing weather outlook.
In it’s alert on the possible commencement of Hamattan in parts of the country soon, NIMET said the public should expect decrease in visibility as a result of dust haze.
Dust haze which is major problem in the aviation sector as it results in cancellation of flights, is one of the disadvantages of hamattan.
Some respondents noted that even though they enjoy the hamattan because of the cold weather that comes with it, that aspect of dust remains their greatest challenge.
Experts believe that the season of hamattan usually leads to high crop yields thereby ensuring food security.
Professor Nasiru Idris of the Faculty of Environmental Science, Nasarawa State University, expressed optimism that hamattan would be experienced in most states of the Federation ,as he explained the prevailing weather outlook.
Climate Change is said to be increasing the occurrence and severity of extreme weather conditions including drought, flooding and abscense of hamattan
This has been obvious in Lagos for years now.
For instance, the break in rainfall popularly called August break because it usually occurs in the month of August, was experienced much earlier this year and it lasted longer.
According to an environmentalist, Professor Olukayode Oladapo, the obvious weather variations are indications that climate change is real and the authorities must put the necessary measures in place to protect the citizens against it’s devastating consequences.
As Nigerians make final preparations for the Yuletide celebrations they should not only be security conscious and spend wisely, but also sensitive to the weather.
Experts say while wearing of nose masks is recommended to reduce inhalation of dust, people should wear thick clothing in order to protect themselves against cold.
