El Nino

This year the meteorological folks have all predicted an El Nino year.  For Kenya this means that the short rains will be heavier and longer.  Normally the rains start about the end of October and continue through November.  They aren't very heavy and usually last for about an hour in the afternoon.

This year the rains have been long and heavy!  They started mid-September and are still going strong.  We usually see the rain clouds rolling in around 3 and the showers usually last 1-2 hours (if not go all night).  Normally this would be ok but we're not talking a little rain.  We're getting downpours.  Inches in mere minutes.  In a country like Kenya this could spell mudslides, widespread flooding, ruined crops, erosion, etc.

Here's a picture of our backyard after ten minutes of such rain.  I affectionately refer to this as "Lake Bast".  Note: it got much larger 5 minutes later coming all the way up to the window.