The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has issued a weather forecast predicting thunderstorms across various regions of Nigeria from Sunday through Tuesday. The agency's outlook, released on Saturday, anticipates localized thunderstorms in parts of Taraba, Adamawa, and southern Kaduna states during the afternoon or evening hours on Sunday.
The North Central region is expected to have partly cloudy skies in the morning, with isolated thunderstorms likely in parts of Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger, and Kogi states later in the day.
In the southern region, cloudy mornings are expected with localized thunderstorms in parts of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Delta states. The forecast indicates that later in the day, thunderstorms will likely develop over Anambra, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Imo, Abia, Ekiti, Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Delta states.
On Monday, NiMet forecasts sunny skies over the northern region for the majority of the day, with the exception of isolated thunderstorms in parts of Adamawa, Kaduna, and Taraba states during the afternoon and evening. The North Central region will experience sunny skies with few clouds in the morning, followed by isolated thunderstorms in Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, and Nasarawa states.
The southern region will see cloudy skies with intervals of sunshine and potential morning thunderstorms in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Cross River states. Localized thunderstorms are expected in Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Imo, Abia, Anambra, Lagos, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Delta states during the afternoon and evening.
For Tuesday, the agency predicts sunny skies with few clouds over the northern region in the morning, with a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms in parts of Taraba State. Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms are anticipated in Taraba, Adamawa, and Kaduna states.
The North Central region will likely have sunny skies with few clouds in the morning, with potential isolated thunderstorms in Benue and Kogi states. The afternoon and evening may bring isolated thunderstorms to Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, and Nasarawa states.
The southern region is expected to have cloudy skies in the morning with chances of isolated thunderstorms over parts of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Lagos states. Thunderstorms are also predicted for Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Oyo, Ekiti, Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa states later in the day.
NiMet advises the public to stay in well-ventilated and cool spaces, drink plenty of water to avoid heat stress, and get vaccinated against meningitis. They also recommend practicing good hygiene, avoiding overcrowding, and using nose masks to reduce the chances of infection. People should avoid direct sunlight during peak hours (noon to 3 pm) and take precautions against strong winds that may precede thunderstorms.
Airline operators are advised to obtain airport-specific weather reports from NiMet for effective planning. Residents are urged to stay informed through NiMet's weather updates.
