Lately Nairobi among other counties has been experiencing unbearable heat due to unusual high temperatures of upto 35° Celsius. This comes after a report by National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) that stated 2024 will have warmer conditions compared to 2023 which was the hottest year in over a century and a half.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, January 2024 was the world’s warmest January on record. This exceptional warmth of the earth experienced in January has transited to February. The Kenya Meteorological Department on 20th February released a 5 day weather forecast indicating rise in temperature across the country.
The forecast report indicated that the North Eastern and North Western regions of Kenya experiencing high temperatures of upto 40 degrees Celsius, the coastal region is experiencing a temperature rise of upto 35 degrees Celsius while the highlands are currently experiencing temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius.
Nairobi however is experiencing long wave radiation as a result of heat experienced during the day. This is heat stored by the ground due to high temperature. Scientifically, long wave radiation is defined as electromagnetic energy radiated outward by the earth (land and sea) at a rate depending on the absolute temperature of the local surface.
Most parts of the country are experiencing sunny and dry weather with high average day time temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. The Kenya Meteorological Department has advised Kenyans to protect themselves from the heat by hydrating.
The world at large is experiencing the heat, the principal driver of the warmth being human activities like deforestation and burning of fossil fuels. Other parts of the world like South America warmer than the normal dry conditions that are contributing to forest fires.
Antonio Guterres, United Nation Secretary General has termed this warm phenomenon of climate change as global boiling.