Flash-flood event in Kampala observed with HyCRISTAL urban weather stations

October 1, 2020
// Climate Services, Extreme weather, Water

Climate change will increase rainfall intensities in East Africa, and HyCRISTAL is working with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and other groups such as the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) to improve the resilience of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) systems to flooding. One challenge is that weather stations are typically located out of urban areas, to avoid urban heat-island effects and wind obstruction by the dense cover of buildings, so localised high-intensity rainfall in urban areas is not directly observed. By working with the Ugandan National Meteorological Authority (UNMA), HyCRISTAL has addressed this issue by deploying urban rain gauges and weather sensors.

Quantifying and visualising inter-dependencies in the water–energy–food nexus

September 15, 2020
// Agriculture, Water

Enhanced coordination is a key feature of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus – an agenda that highlights the inter-dependencies that exist between these sectors. Each relies on the other and changes in one can create benefits or trade-offs in the others. By understanding the consequences of decisions across sectors we hope to avoid trade-offs or take advantage of co-benefits. In our globalised world, trade and other linkages create major inter-dependencies across borders – as we are seeing with the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the ongoing socioeconomic upheaval; understanding and managing this web of interconnections is becoming increasingly important.

Call for participants: online journalist training on climate change reporting

Future Climate for Africa, together with leading experts, is hosting an online climate change journalist training on 5, 7 and 9 October 2020. The aim of the training will be to increase journalists' understanding of climate change and their capacity to report on climate change issues in Africa.

Learning from HyCRISTAL’s urban WASH research in East Africa

Like many developing cities in Africa, the Kenyan city of Kisumu has many residents living in informal settlements, and lacking secure access to clean water and good sanitation. One of the HyCRISTAL urban WASH teams key partnerships in this area was with local development agency Practical Action, which has more than 25 years’ experience working in the ‘WASH’ sector (water, sanitation, and hygiene) to help address these important service delivery gaps.

HyCRISTAL at GHACOF56: the ongoing triple crisis, an expected dry 2020 short rains and climate change

FCFA HyCRISTAL’s ongoing work to introduce climate change planning discussions to the the Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF) have taken place in the unique context of the current ongoing “triple crisis” (floods, locusts & COVID-19) in Eastern Africa. GHACOF provides a unique forum for addressing such weather and climate-related risks.

Une nouvelle recherche permettra d’améliorer l’alerte rapide en cas de gigantesque tempête dévastatrice

Grâce à des recherches scientifiques révolutionnaires, il sera plus facile de prévoir la trajectoire de certaines des tempêtes les plus puissantes du monde, ce qui permettra aux communautés de mieux se protéger contre les graves inondations.

The IPCC’s Special Reports on Land and the Ocean: What’s in it for Africa?

The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) has launched new guides in English and French which unpacks the IPCC Special Reports on Land and Oceans for decision-makers in Africa

New research will improve early warning of devastating megastorms

Ground-breaking scientific research will make it easier to predict the path of some of the world’s most powerful storms, enabling communities to better protect themselves from severe flooding. The research is now helping scientists to develop online tools to better forecast the path and strength of an approaching storm, which will inform alert systems for communities across Africa, providing them with up to six hours’ warning.

East Africa’s Extreme Rainfall of October 2019 – January 2020: Is it linked to climate change?

The 2019 October-December rains over East Africa were one of the wettest seasons on record, with many locations receiving more than double the climatological rainfall, leading to floods and landslides across the region. This above average rainfall led to favourable vegetation characteristics for locusts, contributing to the ongoing locust plagues across East Africa, one of the worst ever recorded.

Improved climate modelling could enhance Kenyan wind energy generation and drought information

The Turkana area of north-west Kenya stands in the path of air currents which move from the Indian Ocean towards countries in north-eastern Africa. Over northern Kenya, these produce low, strong winds that bring dry conditions to the region. Further north of here, the winds move moisture-laden air inland, carrying rainfall with it.