BEIRUT: Weather experts hope that this week’s heavy rainfall will make up for last year's severe winter drought, Michel Frem, head of the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, said Thursday.
“The rainfall has minimized fire hazards that turn up during this time every year and it is also excellent for agriculture and the environment,” Frem told the state-run National News Agency Thursday.
Experts say 700 mm of rainfall in the Bekaa accompanied by snowfall on the mountains would be needed to compensate for last year’s drought.
"Climate change and discrepancies with regards to the amount of rainfall across the country make it difficult for meteorologists to predict the weather,” Frem said, highlighting that the meteorology department could only forecast weather conditions a week or two in advance.
Despite difficulties, the research institute head expects rainfall to persist throughout the months of November and December, however the prediction “is difficult to confirm.”
Heavy rainfall caused river and street flooding on Tuesday night that continued well into Wednesday morning across Lebanon.
According to Frem, the coastal village of Kfar Shakhna, near Tripoli, witnessed the heaviest rainfall in the country so far with a 97 mm of rain in the past week, a remarkable 88 mm increase over the amount of rainfall for the same period last year. The village witnesses on average 62 mm of rain annually.
Akkar came in second, with an estimated 94 mm of rainfall over the past week, a 63 mm marked increase in comparison to last year’s meager 31 mm. However, heavy rainfall is not uncommon in the region that has a 92 mm average.
The capital came in third with 55 mm of rainfall over the past week. This is an 18 mm increase in comparison to rainfall in Beirut over the same period in 2013.
In the town of Riyaq in Zahle, precipitation levels went up by 32 mm in comparison to last year while also rising 26 mm above the yearly average. Meanwhile, in the village of Al-Qaa in Baalbek, precipitation levels rose by 26 mm in comparison to last year, while also surpassing the yearly average by a staggering 25 mm.
The rainy trend will continue over the weekend, with rainfall and lighting expected for Saturday and Sunday, Frem said. Friday, however, will only face intermittent showers, he added.
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