An incursion of dry air mass from the Sahara, resulted in a relatively rain-free Easter in Southern Ghana this year.

As a result, although some rain was recorded within certain areas, it was not as wide-spread and intensive as has typically been the case in times past.

Mr. Michael Padi, Senior Meteorologist at the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA), told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that, the change in rainfall pattern for this year’s Easter period could not be determined as the new trend, but simply was one of the brief dry spells to be experienced during the current rainy season.

He cautioned against people spreading alarming and frightening information that there was going to be very heavy rains and floods this year saying, “the peak of the rainy season in the country is typically characterised by flooding so let us not exaggerate”.

Mr. Padi explained that nothing extraordinary was going to happen during the season, besides the normal thunderstorms and winds that characterised rainfall.

He said the GMA was basically educating the public on how to prevent and avoid the ill-effects of flooding during the rains.

The Senior Meteorologist said by the geographical location of Ghana, extreme weather conditions that led to situations like an entire township being buried in flood waters were highly unlikely to happen.

Mr. Padi said whist rainfall amounts basically remained the same, artificial changes in the landscape such as the paving or cementing of soil surfaces which once soaked rainwater among others, was now causing a pile-up of surface running water, which automatically culminated in flooding.

He said there was thus the need to take a holistic look at the key factors when it came to places that were noted for flooding when it rained.

The senior meteorologist observed for example that the extent of flooding in some places, called for the construction of huge drains, if the problem was really to be solved.

Southern Ghana is currently experiencing its first and major rainy season for the year.