Expect heavy rain, strong winds: Officer

By KELVIN JOE
THE National Weather Service says the country will continue to experience heavy rain and strong wind until next week.
The service warned people from going out to sea as it was not safe while some parts of the country would experience flash floods and landslides.
National Weather Service public and marine service deputy director Peter Warupi said there was increasing cloudy conditions with heavy rain and showers, isolated thunder storm activity with strong winds expected in some parts of the country.
Warupi said heavy rain with flash floods would occur in the Highlands, Southern and New Guinea Islands regions during this week and into next week.
“Heavy rains are forecasted to persist in the Highlands, Central/NCD, Gulf, Milne Bay, Oro, New Britain and New Ireland,” he said.
He said low lying areas, valleys and along rivers banks and in coastal areas were in danger of being affected by flood while people living beside hill tops needed to take precautions in case of landslides. Warupi said the combined effects of La Nina with tropical cyclone and wet seasons was causing extreme rainfall and unusual flooding in some parts of the country.
“This is the combination of La Nina with wet and cyclone seasons, that’s why we are having above the normal rainfall than we usually have during wet and tropical cyclone seasons,” he said.
Warupi said the La Nina had come in with the tropical cyclone season that is from November to March and this was compounded with PNG’s regular wet season