Officials from Rwanda Meteorology Agency (RMA) on Wednesday urged government departments in charge of disaster management to gear up for "above normal El Niño rains” that are expected to start next month.

The meteorologists called upon relevant government departments to urgently examine their contingency plans, especially for the western half of the country, which they said is likely to experience heavy rains of over 430mm between September and December.

Experts predict that the Western, Southern and Northern provinces will be most hit in what is predicted to be the worst El Niño phenomenon to hit the East African region in 60 years.

"The normal to above normal rainfall expected during the September to December season may cause floods and other related disasters such as landslides,” Didas Musoni, the head of climate data division at RMA said earlier today at a forum on national climate outlook in Kigali.