Expect wetter than normal rainfall which could lead to flooding events and in the aftermath of floods there could be incidents of water borne diseases, says the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS).
The FMS stated the higher than normal rainfall was the result of a triple dip La Nina event which referred to the large-scale cooling of ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes to wind, pressure and rainfall.
The FMS stated the triple dip La Nina was the first to be recorded this century.
“So people in Fiji can expect wetter than normal rainfall conditions which can lead to flooding events, especially during the upcoming wet season,” FMS said in response to queries from The Fiji Times.
“The flooding events triggered by this La Nina can eventually cause damage to infrastructure, crops and livestock.
“After the floods, there is also a risk of water borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea and dysentery.
“Communities across Fiji potentially will have to deal with outbreaks of leptospirosis and mosquito-borne diseases due to flooding.”
The FMS said historically, most of the previously reported flooding events were associated with La Niña events, such as the big floods of 2009, which engulfed most of Nadi.
The FMS said La Niña refers to the large-scale cooling of the ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, namely wind, pressure and rainfall.
