Rising temperatures are set to elevate heat stress levels in several countries in the Horn of Africa, the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, said on Wednesday.
NAIROBI, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Rising temperatures are set to elevate heat stress levels in several countries in the Horn of Africa, the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, said on Wednesday.
The ICPAC noted in its latest forecast that the heat stress would happen in at least six countries.
"Cautionary heat stress levels are expected in most parts of Sudan, South Sudan, and parts of Eritrea and Ethiopia, central to southern Somalia and north-western and eastern Kenya," the ICPAC said.
The temperatures are expected to rise up to 38 degrees Celsius in some of the affected countries, with warmer-than-usual temperatures forecast for most parts of the Greater Horn of Africa region in the coming weeks, according to the ICPAC.
The Horn of Africa is increasingly experiencing climatic anomalies that range from higher and lower than normal temperatures to drought and heavy rains due to climate change effects.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and IGAD noted that adverse weather events affect food security, with some 67 million people risking starvation in the Horn.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said up to 49 billion U.S. dollars is needed to assist 187 million people in need of humanitarian assistance globally. ■