Weeks of bad weather to ease overnight

By Sapeer Mayron 06 July 2020, 7:30PM

The poor weather over Samoa will ease overnight, and the heavy rain warnings have been downgraded to an advisory, the Meteorology Division reports.

The flood warning has been cancelled, but there will be brief, heavy downpours across the country as the convergence zone over the country shifts south.

Heavy rain, poor visibility, wind and slippery roads are all risks as the weather conditions remain wet.

Meanwhile there remains a small craft advisory in effect for all coastal areas, as the high pressure system east of New Zealand sends winds across Samoa, causing combined waves and swells of 2.5 to three metres. 

The last three weekends have seen daily or twice daily reports of bad weather from the Meteorological Division, notifying the public about repeated convergence zones and intense high pressure systems over the country. 

It has been a wet June heralding the beginning of an upside-down dry season, following a similarly drizzly month leading up to and during the Pacific Games hosted in Samoa last year.

Meanwhile the World Meteorological Organisation reports the global surface temperature for January to May was the second highest on record, with the warmest May ever on record.

The data has led researchers to suspect 2020 will be one of the five warmest years ever, following two major records in this area: both the last five years, and the last decade were the warmest on record, according to the W.M.O.’s State of the Global Climate reports. 

Surface temperature is one major indicator of climate change and how rapidly the earth’s climate is changing for the worse. 

The effects of climate change have been studied to reveal impacts on seasons and how rising global temperatures worsen the strength of extreme weather events. 

By Sapeer Mayron 06 July 2020, 7:30PM
Samoa Observer

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