Namibia is experiencing extreme heat, with temperatures reaching 39 to 41 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country, as hot conditions are expected to spread across the country.

Chief of Climate at Namibia Meteorological Services, Simon Dirkse, says the heatwave is caused by a strong high-pressure system forcing air downwards and raising temperatures.

He says the central and southern regions are expected to experience the heat before conditions begin to normalise by Monday, while elevated temperatures could persist longer in Zambezi.

Dirkse also warns that a potentially strong El Niño could bring below-normal rainfall and above-average temperatures during the 2026/2027 rainy season, threatening crop production, water supplies and grazing.

"I mean, a very strong El Nino is, as we have said before, in our seasonal focus; we do expect suppressed rainfall over Namibia. We do expect above-average temperatures over Namibia. That's from the impacts. Although I'm not a specialist, say if you look at crop production, we do expect the crops to be under tremendous stress. And therefore, the production, the yield at the end of it, should be fairly low, if there is anything. Then we are looking at the water sector. Water sector: we are saying the impacts will be dense; they are already empty. Those ones, I don't see them being filled up. The ones that are filled up will be reduced during the rain. They won't be significant inflows into those ones."

Motorists are urged to avoid long-distance travel during peak heat, while the public is reminded never to leave children or pets unattended in parked vehicles.

Dirkse also advises motorists to travel during cooler hours and residents to avoid watering gardens during periods of intense heat because of high evaporation rates.

"During that period, try and refrain from watering your garden because the evaporation rates are very high, and whatever water you are trying to apply will just evaporate. That's another one. Another way of looking at it is, even for your own tyres, if you are driving on the road, the heat is not good. So avoid that. I would rather travel late in the afternoon than travel a long distance in that maximum heat period."