Ghana Meteo Reveals Harmattan Conditions To Reduce From Next Week

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) has predicted that, the intense Harmattan conditions prevailing in Ghana will reduce, by the end of next week with an improved visibility.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic on Thursday, the Director of Research and Applied Meteorology at the GMA, Charles Kweku Yorke, says there is a probability that there will be an improvement in the current hazy conditions.

“The south western winds blown from the Gulf of Guinea would help in the reduction of the intensity of the Harmattan.

“There is going to be high humidity values, especially over the southern part of the country, with low humidity values in the northern part of the country,” he added.

The annual harmattan condition, which is usually experienced in the country in late November, rather hit most parts of the country in late December last year.

The country is currently engulfed in north-eastern winds, which blow from the Saharan Desert.

During this period, most people experience dryness of the skin and the throat. Some experience cracks on the lips and feet while the dust also settles on buildings, rooms, structures and various items, including vehicles.

Driving also becomes difficult because of the hazy weather conditions.

According to Mr. Yorke, visibility values in the northern part of the country was between one and three kilometres, the middle belt about 800 metres to 3.5 kilometres and over the coast, the range was between 800 metres to 1.5 kilometres.

The values were recorded at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
He advised drivers to be careful while plying the roads because of the harmattan conditions, coupled with fog and mist patches which were predominantly high in the mornings.

“Visibility is drastically poor in the mornings; hence, if drivers are not mindful, they could run into stationary vehicles ahead,” he said.

For the Aviation industry, Mr. Yorke, said there are no recorded cases of flights being grounded as a result of poor visibility as witnessed last year.

He said when visibility reduced to a certain level it affected flights in the country.

“It becomes very difficult to land and also take off as visibility is very poor, leading to passengers becoming stranded,” the director said.

He, therefore, advised the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority to pay heed to advice by his outfit to ensure safety.