Schools to open later in parts of Sudan as temperatures drop

Sudan is witnessing temperatures much lower than usual as a cold weather front is moving across the country. Schools in North Kordofan will start later in the day as temperatures can drop to 10 degrees at night.

The Early Warning Unit of the Sudanese Meteorological Authority announced yesterday that it expects that the temperatures will continue to decrease in most parts of the country.

In its daily bulletin, the Early Warning Unit predicted cold and dusty winds in the north, middle, and west of the country and in parts of Red Sea state.  It also expected light rain in the south-east of the Red Sea state.

As a cold front moves across Sudan this week, temperatures drop to 13 degrees Celsius in Khartoum at night and reach 28 degrees during the day. Because of the cold wind the temperature ‘feels’ at least two degrees less.

The Director General of the Ministry of Education in North Kordofan decided today to delay the start of the school day due to the cold weather.

From today onwards, the school day begins at 8:45. Lessons are shortened to 35 minutes.

In North Kordofan, temperatures can drop to 10 degrees at night and in the early morning. The temperatures only start to climb again in the morning hours.

The adaptation also includes cancellation of the “morning queue” in the school yard, during which students sing the national anthem and classes take turns in organising short quizzes and games.

Many modern Sudanese homes are designed and built in such a way as to help people cope with hot temperatures, not cold ones. Many buildings do not have glass windows to avoid solar gain and increase ventilation.

The classical way of building rooms in houses provides both coolness in the summer and warmth in the winter. Classic Sudanese houses consist of a compound with round ‘huts’ with thick walls of stones or rocks filled with clay or manure. These thick walls help to insulate homes.

Rains in Port Sudan

Activists reported that the death toll from the torrential rains in Port Sudan, capital of Red Sea state, had risen to eight last week.

In a press conference on Saturday, Head of the Eastern Sudan Civil Forces Association Taha Badawi called on the Port Sudan authorities to declare a state of emergency in the city and warned of an outbreak of epidemics due to the accumulation of water. He also pointed to the collapse of more than 27,000 homes and a number of schools.

He asked the government to prepare for the coming rains and conduct a complete re-evaluation of sanitation systems. Badawi warned of major errors in engineering planning and the construction of huge buildings in floodplains, which could exacerbate the negative consequences of rain.