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 millimetersof 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, Frem 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 Tuesday night that continued well into Thursday morning across Lebanon.
According to Frem, the village of Kfar Shakhna witnessed the heaviest rainfall in the country so far with 97 millimetersof rain in the past week, a remarkable 88 millimetersincrease over the amount of rainfall for the same period last year. The village witnesses on average 62 millimetersof rain for that period.
Akkar came in second, with an estimated 94 millimetersof rainfall over the past week, a 63 millimetermarked increase compared to a meager 31 millimeters in the same period last year But heavy rainfall is not uncommon in the region which has an average of 92 millimeters
Beirut came in third with 55 millimetersof rainfall over the past week. This is an 18 millimeter increase compared to rainfall in the capital over the same period in 2013.
In the town of Riyaq in Zahle, precipitation levels went up by 32 millimeterscompared to last year while also rising 26 millimetersabove the average for the period.
The rainy trend will continue over the weekend, with rainfall and lightning expected for Saturday and Sunday, Frem said. Friday, however, will only see intermittent showers, he added.
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