People use canoes to cross from one village to another as low-lying areas have been submerged in the Upper Nile region | Credit | Courtesy

Heavy rainfall above 100mm is expected in Jonglei and Upper Nile states in South Sudan within the next one week, IGAD weathermen have announced.

In its weekly rainfall forecast for 28 September – 5 October, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre says heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected in northeastern part of South Sudan.

The downpour and flash floods have already caused humanitarian crisis in parts of the country.

The UN says an estimated 380,000 people have been affected by flooding in six states since May, with Jonglei and Unity the most affected.

Meanwhile, 0ther region to experience heavy rainfall include western and eastern Ethiopia and northern Somalia.

It adds that moderate rainfall between 50 and 100mm is expected in central and western parts of South Sudan, western Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, eastern Ethiopia, and northeastern Somalia.

Meanwhile, light rainfall of less than 30mm is expected over southern parts of Sudan, parts of northern and south-eastern South Sudan, eastern Uganda into western Kenya, and coastal regions of Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

In the next one week, dry conditions will only be experienced in central and northern Sudan, the Afar region of Ethiopia, most of Eritrea, eastern and northern Kenya, and western and southern Tanzania.

According to the center, one millimeter of rainfall is equivalent to 1 liter of water per square meter.