Seasonal trip of sun to equator is cause of atmospheric heat- Meteo

Accra, March 11, GNA - Torgbui Gbebie Fiamekor I, Principal Meteorologist at the Kotoka International Airport has attributed the atmospheric heat being experienced in the country to a number of weather conditions.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday he said the sun was making its seasonal trip to the equator, causing its rays to focus and direct towards the earth, creating a lot of heat. He said presently Ghana was in the northern hemisphere spring and the sun had apparently reached its southern most end of the globe along the tropic of Capricorn in December and moving towards the equator. The Principal Meteorologist said the sun would be exactly over the equator around March 22, adding that the heating would thus be intense and reach its maximum around that time.

He said after March 22, the intensity of the sun would reduce. Torgbui Fiamekor said whilst the heat was intensified by the sun's movement, it was even more intense because of seasonal inter annual variation in climate.

He said the large volumes of dust particles brought in from North Africa as a result of the harmattan did not occur this season leading to an increase in atmospheric heat. He explained that the dust particles deflect heat from the sun's rays.

The Principal Meteorologist said the ground was absorbing a lot of heat and also radiating it back into the atmosphere. He said there was a lot of moisture which absorb the heat and released it into the atmosphere at night.

Torgbui Fiamekor said some rainfall could cool down the atmosphere but unfortunately, the present weather conditions did not favour that. He expressed the hope that by the end of March rainfall factors would have become strong enough to precipitate some rain to reduce the heat in the atmosphere.

He noted that the heat being experienced in the country now was not the worst ever. Torgbui Fiamekor said whilst the highest temperature recorded in Accra between January to March 10, was 34.5 degrees centigrade, in February 1954 the country attracted 36.1 degrees centigrade. 11 March 10