Weather will be unstable during visit of Obama - Meteo

Accra, July 7, GNA - The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) said on Tuesday that the probability of rainfall during the visit of US President, Barack Obama is high.

"From now to Monday July 12, there is a high level of instability in the weather pattern along the West African coast. The sea is relatively warm and there is presence of high moisture content in the atmosphere," Mr Ayilari-Naa Juati, Director of Forecasting at GMA, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

He said delays in the outset of this season's rainfall and the relative warm nature of the sea made areas along the coast unstable. While in the past the rains would have subsided by July, the satellite imagery used to predict rainfall across the country is indicating more heavy rains within the month.

Mr Juati therefore warned organisers of any outdoor activities to take weather warnings seriously and take measures to safeguard the public.

President Obama is expected in Ghana on Friday evening, July 10, for a two-day official visit and he is expected to address an open air rally at the Independence Square on Saturday after visiting Cape Coast Castle. Already, the ceremonial streets in Accra have been garnished with bill boards bearing the portraits of President John Atta Mills and the US President.

Major intersections, national monuments, high rise buildings along major streets, and electricity and telephone poles have all been decorated with either the photographs of the two presidents, or Ghanaian and American national flags.

Former President Bill Clinton was the first American President to begin what has now become a tradition, by visiting Ghana in 1998. Ten years later former President George W. Bush continued the strong Ghana/US relations with a visit. Now, President Obama, barely six months after his inauguration, is visiting Ghana, his first to sub-Saharan Africa, to honour Ghana for her strong democratic credentials. 7 July 09