Extreme rainfall causes problems for communities in Nauru. ‘Too little’ rain can cause widespread water shortages, while ‘too much’ rain can lead to flooding.
This week, the Nauru Hydrology and Meteorological Service participated in their first training in analysing and forecasting for extreme rainfall, which looked at floods and droughts.
Training was provided with assistance from the Australian and New Zealand aid funded Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac) delivered by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
Mr Graymea Ika, Director of the Nauru Hydrology and Meteorology Services, emphasised the importance of providing outlooks for drought especially for Nauru since they have experienced below normal rainfall for the past three years.
"Our Meteorological service started in 2015, and our climate section in 2021,” he said. “Our rainfall outlooks can provide early warning for the community to prepare if drought or floods are coming. We have just had three years of drought associated with La Niña. Now the system is shifting to El Niño for 2023, so above average rainfall is likely, and our communities need to prepare.”
The four-day Climatology and Early Action Rainfall Watch workshop was held at the University of the South Pacific (USP) from 20-23 June 2023 in Nauru. This included a one-day Stakeholders workshop with participants coming from associated disaster management sectors. The Climatology and Early Action Rainfall Watch Workshop was attended by fourteen Nauru Met Officers.
For more information about rainfall outlooks, please contact the Nauru Hydrology and Meteorology Service via [email protected]