Rain expected for two weeks

PEOPLE around the country should be expecting rain throughout this week and next week due to strong atmospheric waves passing through, according to the PNG National Weather Services.
Acting director Jimmy Gomoga said the atmospheric wave was quite strong and, combined with the effects from a trough (an area of low pressure which was along the southern coast of Papua New Guinea), rain would occur.
“The rest of the country will be experiencing wet conditions,” he told The National.
Gomoga added that the dry air and colder temperatures were factors of flu, hence would also be conducive for the coronavirus as well.
“According to the systems that is around us, we have a trough that is lying almost close to the southern coast of PNG and this is inter-reacting with the cold air coming from the south, with the warm tropical air.
“So there is a mix in the Papuan coastline which is actually causing the active weather.
“By looking at some of the other conditions, we have what is called the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) (the major fluctuation in tropical weather on weekly timescales) that we have been monitoring.
“We have an active MJO that is passing through us and we should be expecting the rains to be continuing for the rest of this week right across the country.
“From July 29 to Aug 4, it will begin to move away from our region and by next week it should be right over us.
“The MJO signal, or what we call atmospheric waves, are quite strong that is causing the rains to occur with the combined effects from the trough.
“That is why we are experiencing rainfalls around the southern parts of PNG but it doesn’t mean other parts of the country will not experience rain.
“They will also experience wet conditions this week through to next week.”