Gom Mirian, Juliet Jacob
Some parts of Abuja, the nation’s capital witnessed its first rainfall of the year, on Wednesday evening.
In areas like Lugbe and its environs, along the International Airport Expressway (Umaru Yar ‘Adua Road), the rain started at about 7 PM. It began with thunderstorms, dusty winds and dark clouds.
Suddenly, thick dusts blew through the atmosphere and residents started running for safety as they dashed across roads, while the thunder sounded intermittently.
Following the winds, the rain began to drop. Residents were observed celebrating the first rainfall in the year. But, it lasted for a few minutes.
While the winds blew through, the area was thrown into darkness, as the public power supply went off almost immediately.
A resident said she expected the rain to last longer to cool the heat weather being experienced across the Federal Capital Territory.
However, contrary to their expectations, the hot weather returned.
But our reporters gathered that the rain was not experienced in all parts of Abuja. In the same Lugbe, residents of the Trademore district did not witness any rain.
It was further gathered that in some places where the rain fell, it lasted for 30 minutes.
At Gwarinpa area, our reporter observed that residents expected a downpour, Wednesday evening to signal the first rainfall of the year.
The rain, which started at about 5:51 pm and lasted for over an hour, brought relief to residents who had been enduring the dry and hot weather.
“I felt cool with the rain, but the thunder strikes were quite scary,” said Simbyat, a resident of Gwarinpa, expressing the mixed emotions of many residents.
Mrs Aina Olawale who lives in Ushafa in the Bwari area council of Abuja told African Health Report that she was glad for the break from the hot weather but worried that the light rain might make the heat worse in the future.
She also mentioned NiMet’s forecast of delayed rainfall in the North-Central states.
Lawal Sale, a resident of Garki, mentioned that the rain provided relief from the intense heat and also cleaned off the dust from parked cars. He advised against starting agricultural activities too soon because the rainfall may not be regular.
However, some residents from the Lugbe and Kuje axis of Abuja reported heavy winds without rainfall, adding that the temperature had significantly decreased compared to earlier days.
Despite the fears, many Abuja residents welcomed the rain as a sign of hope for the upcoming planting season.
The first rainfall of the year brought relief to many residents, but fears of thunder strikes and concerns about irregular rainfall persist. As the city continues to experience the effects of the changing weather patterns, residents are cautiously optimistic about the prospects for the upcoming planting season.
Residents of Lokogoma had looked forward to a heavy downpour of rain this evening albeit to no avail.
The clouds had thickened around 6pm with many making frantic efforts to finish their dealings outside their homes hurriedly to avoid being catch up in the impending downpour.
A small praying group of the Catholic Church, called Basic Catholic Community, BCC, observing the Stations of the Cross hurriedly finalised their observance and prayed for a heavy rainfall.
Leader of the group Bro Barnabas Aziwike said, “we pray for the rain to come to reduce the heat wave in Abuja now” adding “the unsteady supply of electricity recently has made the situation worse”
Kids found the thick cloud and windy moments exciting as they ran along or beside their parents giggling home.
Alas it ended as all wind and no rain at the end of the day. But the wind and cool breeze that was the aftermath of the cloud and wind made the evening a little bearable for families
