If you live in Port Harcourt, there is one thing I can guarantee you of – You can’t predict the rain. Our weather condition and its affinity for rain is some much that during whether report, you hear vague reports such as:

The weather forecast for today promises to be sunny, but nonetheless, go along with an umbrella.

That’s funny, but real, the weather condition is Port Harcourt, is something worth discussing about extensively. Let’s begin!

The Weather Report

Source

Did you notice something interesting about the above weather reports? It will rain Monday till Friday and Saturday and Sunday will be mostly cloudy, and remember, with cloudiness, comes raining.
But wait, is the rain working for the five working days? And taking a break during the weekends? That’s unreal. But, whatever the case, never trust a weather report in Port Harcourt.

Flooding

Port Harcourt city has not been the best in handling rainfall, but is one of the best in the amount of rainfalls. The city gets easily flooded and commuting becomes extremely difficult and sometimes, for some people impossible.
It is common to find people waiting for water before getting into their homes, removing excess water from their buildings, or even draining excess water from their surroundings.
Compounding the weather situation of my beloved city of Port Harcourt is the poor city planning, that enables people to build indiscriminately. Even the government is guilty, as environmental impact assessment is usually lacking when implementing their projects, roads and bridges are built indiscriminately without regards to the environmental outcome.

Moreover, here's an interesting comment on this by [Emmanuel Masha in a Newtelegraph Article](Rivers residents brace for another flooding season - New Telegraph (newtelegraphng.com), let me quote him:

“With a growing population scattered around the new extensions being developed near known towns and communities, and coupled with residents that are yet to fully appreciate the essence of waste handling, Port Harcourt has grown to become the worst nightmare of residents who dream and hope for a livable city.”

Weather for Two

The above is a commonly used phrase you find people blurting whenever it rains heavily. People are barely ashamed or at least cautious about how they express their sexual desires and use the rainy days as a backup/reason for more and more sexual misconduct. This is especially common among young people as it is common to see WhatsApp statuses flooded with sexually themed content whenever it rains.
But with what result, a quick statistics helps you understand better: Port Harcourt city currently boasts in the third place as the city with the highest HIV prevalence in Nigeria with a [prevalence rate of 3.8]( How Nigeria’s 36 states fare in HIV prevalence - Premium Times Nigeria (premiumtimesng.com), thanks to the unending rainfall and the increase moral decadence with the rain as a justification.

Key Takeaway

If you live in Port Harcourt, or plan to visit Port Harcourt, be prepared to deal with the gruesome weather marked by unending rainfalls. We hardly have dry season here. Global warming could be blamed a lot, however, conscious efforts to manage the weather (could be Port Harcourt’s new climate) are not being put in place.
So, always stay prepared, carry an umbrella, some form of waterproofing for your gadgets, and protection for your body as the rain water is contaminated. I wish I could portray my city in a better light here, but, if I don’t tell the truth, someone else will.