"Heavy thunderstorms on Friday, in combination with poor drainage systems in parts of the city, led to at least eight flooding deaths and two deaths linked to electrocution, while more than 70 vehicles became trapped or stranded."
"Within the space of 24 hours, 6am on Friday to 6am on Saturday, 112mm of rain was recorded at a station in Nairobi, considerably more than estimated. For context, the average amount of rainfall recorded by this station for the whole of March is 92.2mm, meaning more than 120% of the average monthly rainfall fell within a single day."
"Because Kenya is situated just south of the equator, it has a bimodal seasonality, meaning it has two distinct rainy periods in the year, rather than one. These seasons are driven by the migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a band of low pressure which encircles the Earth, as it follows the sun across the equator twice a year."
Nairobi experienced severe flooding following heavy thunderstorms on Friday, resulting in at least eight deaths from flooding and two from electrocution, with over 70 vehicles trapped or stranded. The Kenya meteorological department had forecasted moderate to heavy rainfall between March 3-9, expecting 30-70mm daily totals in affected areas. However, 112mm fell within 24 hours at a Nairobi station, exceeding 120% of the average monthly rainfall for March. This extreme event reflects Kenya's bimodal rainfall pattern driven by the intertropical convergence zone migration. While rare, similar intense rainfall events have occurred previously, including 189.1mm in May 2015 and 495mm in April 2018.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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