Severe Weather Alert: Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms, and Flash Floods to Hit Nigeria
Nigeria is set to experience widespread extreme weather, including moderate to heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and potential flash flooding across multiple regions on Monday, 28th September 2026.
Rainbearing clouds have developed following consecutive days of significant rainfall, bringing a fresh round of intense storms that will particularly impact the southern and central cities.
A warning from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) indicates that strong winds will accompany the storms, creating hazardous conditions for commuters, residents in low-lying coastal areas, and airline operations.
In the northern states, thunderstorms accompanied by light rainfall will affect parts of Adamawa and Taraba states, while scattered thunderstorms with moderate rainfall will spread across Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, Adamawa, and Bauchi states.
The central states are predicted to experience cloudy conditions with early chances of thunderstorms and light rain over Benue, the FCT, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara states.
Isolated thunderstorms bringing moderate rain will impact the FCT, Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Kwara states.
The southern region will see the highest volume of activity, with moderate to heavy thunderstorms expected to blanket most parts of the zone. NIMET’s forecasts indicate light rain is anticipated across Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Lagos, Bayelsa, and Cross River states.
NiMet Safety Advisories: How to Stay Safe
To mitigate the risks, members of the public and institutional operators are urged to strictly adhere to safety protocols.
Loose objects are to be secured, as strong, destructive winds may precede the rainfall. The public are also advised to steer clear of unstable structures and tall trees to avoid falling branches.
NiMET is also warning of potential flash floods around the coastal and low-lying areas that will impact movement and driving.
There could also be potential power surges with a warning to disconnect sensitive electrical appliances from their sockets before the rain begins to protect against severe lightning-induced power surges. The advisory notes that power appliances should never be disconnected during thunderstorms.
For the aviation sector, airline operators are advised to strictly retrieve airport-specific weather intelligence from NiMet to ensure safe flight planning and operations.
