MSD Library

Lightning: Information for Workers

Risk

Lightning strikes occur most often in those who work outside or engage in outdoor recreational activities. The following occupations have the highest risk:
• Construction and building maintenance
• Farming and field labor
• Logging
• Explosives handling or storage
• Heavy equipment operation
• Pipefitting or plumbing
• Telecommunications field repair
• Power utility field repair

Steps to Protect Yourself
If you work in high risk occupations, you can take steps to protect yourself.
• Check the forecast
Know the daily weather forecast so you are prepared and know what weather to expect during the day.
• Watch for signs
Pay attention to early weather signs of potential lightning strikes such as high winds, dark clouds, or distant thunder or lightning. When these occur, do not start any activity that you cannot quickly stop.
• Follow the program
Know your company’s lightning safety warning program, if it has one. These programs should include access to a safe location and danger warnings that can be issued in time for everyone to get to the safe location.
• Assess the threat
Although no place outside is safe during a storm, you can minimize your risk by assessing the lightning threat early and taking appropriate actions. For example, if you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you. Stop what you are doing and seek safety in a building or metal-topped vehicle with the windows up.
• Avoid tall structures
Avoid anything tall or high, including rooftops, scaffolding, utility poles, ladders, trees, and large equipment such as bulldozers, cranes, and tractors.
• Avoid conductive materials
Do NOT touch materials or surfaces that conduct electricity, including metal scaffolding, metal equipment, utility lines, water, water pipes, or plumbing.
• Stay away from explosives
If you are in an area with explosives, leave immediately.

KUDZIVIRIRA MHENI

Mheni inogona kufungidzirwa kuitika pakuongorora makore emvura paanenge achikura. Kana makore aya azara nemvura yekunaya, anotanga kusviba. Kusviba kwacho kunoreva kuti makore acho akakura uye mvura yacho inenge ichiperekedzwa nemhepo inovhuvhuta chaizvo. Chinguva chipfupi mvura iyi isati yatanga kunaya, kunze kunomboti zii kunyarara.
Ipapo

vanhu vano kuridzirwa kuti vabve pasi pemiti yakakurisa munzvimbo yavari.
2. Vanhu ngavabve panenzvimbo dzizere matombo kana simbi, pamusana pekuti izvi zvino fambirana nemheni nguva zhinji.
3. Avo vane magetsi mudzimba, vanokurudzirwa kuti vadzime midziyo inoshandisa magetsi. Ngavatobvisa tambo dzacho kumadziro, kuitira kuti mheni yarova munzvimbo iyoyo, inoshaya pekufambira nayo mumba.
4. Avo vane foni, ngavarege kufona kana kudaira foni kudzamara mvuara yagasa.

GARAI MUINE ZVINU IZVI:
Matochi ane mabhatiri ane moto
Mishonga
Chikafu nemvura yokunwa
Mishonga yekurapa
Garai mune mari yenyu uye mabhuku ekubhanga

ZVINODIWA KUITWA

Pamba/pamusha pasagara pane miti yakaora yakamira inogona kuwa kana kudona
Vanogara pamba vazive kudzima gasi , magetsi uye vanodzimura moto kana kwamudzviti
Vanhu vanofanira kuteerera yambiro inobva kunezvevemamiriro ekunze.
Dzidzisanai/panganai nzvimbo yamunosangana kana dutu remvura rapfuura napanvzimbo yenyu.

KUDZIVIRIRA NGOZI DZEMHENI MUDZIMBA
Kana mheni ichinge yarova imba, inoona zviri nyore, pakudzika kwayo pasi, kupinda nemumiviri wemunhu pane kudzika nemadziro emba. Saka izvi zvinoreva kuti avo vanhu vanenge vakatsamira madziro vanokuvadzwa kunyanya.

Heavy Rains,Flash floods in Chitungwiza 11/01/2022

Agrometeorology


The vagaries of weather that dominated the climate of the country over the last 20 years have brought about a phenomenal growth in the understanding of the overriding role weather plays in agricultural productivity among our populace in general and farming community in particular. The droughts and food shortages experienced in 1982/83, 1991/92 and 2001/02, to mention but a few, are ample evidence that Zimbabwe’s agricultural performance is at the mercy of the prevailing weather. Consequently, national planners are giving increasing importance to monitoring of crops, and to the assessment of the final production in terms of their dependence on weather conditions.

The provision of meteorological services to agriculture has been a major concern to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)-the umbrella body of all Meteorological Organisations worldwide. The WMO has, since 1974, supported the expansion and strengthening of activities in applied agrometeorology by both International and National Meteorological Organisations. Zimbabwe has also benefited from such support. An agrometeorological unit was set up in the country in the first decade of our independence in the Department of Meteorological Services. The Unit provides a wide array of services that help answer agricultural problems or situations in relation to weather and climate. However, it is regrettable that the majority of our farming community is either not aware of its existence or does not appreciate its functions and how it can assist them in decision-making.

What is Agrometeorology?

Agrometeorology (agricultural meteorology) is the application of meteorological knowledge, information and data to weather-sensitive problems in agriculture. These problems include the effect of weather, climate and their variability on land use, on crop zonation and on physical production of agriculture, as well as on management and operation of agricultural projects.

In addition, agricultural meteorology is also concerned with artificial modifications of the environment (as brought about, for example, by windbreaks and shelterbelts, irrigation, green houses, etc.); in climatic conditions of storage, weather in-doors or in the field clamps; in environmental conditions, in animal shelters and farm buildings; and during the transport of agricultural produce by land or air.

Agrometeorologists provide services that are essential in every weather-sensitive agricultural operation if the high costs of trial and error methods are to be reduced to a minimum.

What agrometeorological information can I get from Department of Meteorological services (Zimbabwe)

• data

The Department of Meteorological services provides both basic and derived climatological data for agriculture. The climate data was accumulated for over 40 years at most of the meteorological stations representatively distributed throughout the country and put in computer compatible form.

The basic data

The basic data provided by the Advisory Branch of the Department of Meteorological Services through its agrometeorological, rainfall and consultancy units include:
• Rainfall data (at daily, 5-day, weekly, 10-day, monthly and seasonal intervals)
• Maximum and minimum temperatures)
• Humidity
• Cloud cover
• Solar radiation
• Water vapour deficit
• Wind speed
• etc

The department places huge emphasis on the quality of climatological records. This is because historical weather characteristics provide the best information available for estimating the future magnitude, frequency and areal extent of thresholds of weather factors which determine the success or failure of agricultural projects. To ensure high quality of data, all the data received from our network of stations is processed in our Data Processing unit which is headed by a vastly experienced statistician.

Derived Data

Potential evapotranspiration (PET) is an important agrometeorological parameter whose use in determining the onset and cessation of the rainfall season by agronomists cannot be under estimated. However, it is not measured directly under field conditions. It is derived from values of water vapour deficit, temperature, solar radiation, wind, length of day, latitude, etc. Such data is calculated and provided by the agrometeorological unit.

Other products

Original observations of weather elements are carefully analysed, summarised and interpreted to be of maximum benefit to agricultural users for planning and decision making purposes. The products found under this group include:

• Weekly rainfall bulletins

Every Wednesday during the rainy season, the Department publishes and distributes to users a weekly rainfall bulletin which gives a summary of rainfall for the past week and the season so far in terms of the cumulative rainfall total from the beginning of the season as well as a comparison with normal such that abnormal situations can be readily identified.

The summaries help in assessing potential transpiration soil moisture deficits and occurrence of weather suitable for the spread of disease or infection.

• Weather outlooks

10-day weather forecasts:
Also on Wednesdays, from October of one year to March of the following year, The Agrometeorological unit issues out 10-day weather forecasts. This 10-day outlook is intended for on-farm operations and aids the farmer in making tactical decisions. We place emphasis on the changes of weather types, on the sequence of the rain-days, on the normal meteorological hazards in farming e.g. strong winds (exposure, physical damage), extended dry spells, extended wet spells.

The agrometeorologists also suggest agricultural implications of the forecasts.

Seasonal forecasts

Seasonal forecasts are published in September of each year. They are intended to help the farm strategise before the start of the season. These are probabilistic forecasts put in three categories, giving the probability of below normal, normal and above normal rains during the first half of the season (October-to-December) and the second half (January-to-March). If seasonal forecasts are wrongly interpreted the results are nasty for agriculture. Advice of an agrometeorologist should be sought whenever one finds difficulties in comprehending in interpreting forecasts for farmers.