Torrential downpours hit Kenyan capital city which has poor drainage systems
Late last week, torrential rain in Nairobi, Kenya, led to severe flooding. Heavy thunderstorms on Friday, in combination with poor drainage systems in parts of the city, led to at least eight flooding deaths and two deaths linked to electrocution, while more than 70 vehicles became trapped or stranded.
The Kenya meteorological department had issued a moderate to heavy rainfall warning for much of the country from Tuesday 3 March to Monday 9 March, with the heaviest rainfall expected between Wednesday and Saturday.
Areas in Nairobi such as Westlands, Dagoretti, Roysambu and Embakasi were expected to be hit by some of the heaviest downpours, with daily totals forecast to reach between 30mm and 70mm.
In reality, within the space of 24 hours, 6am on Friday to 6am on Saturday, 112mm of rain was recorded at a station in Nairobi, considerably more than estimated. For context, the average amount of rainfall recorded by this station for the whole of March is 92.2mm, meaning more than 120% of the average monthly rainfall fell within a single day.
