Victoria Falls – highest flow for 10 years
The iconic Victoria Falls is currently showing off why it is named the ‘Smoke that Thunders’ – Mosi-oa-Tunya. The falls have reached its highest flows for a decade.
Data from the Zambezi River Authority shows that four times more water was flowing over the world’s largest waterfall than this time last year – on 20th April the authority recorded 3,922 cubic metres per second, compared to 1,007 on 20th April 2019.
According to the authorities Public Relations Manager, Elizabeth Karonga, these high water levels were due to a significant increase in both rainfall and run-off from catchment areas upstream from the current rainfall season. Over the coming weeks flows should continue to rise and are expected to peak at the end of May.
The highest flows ever recorded were in 1958, peaking at an incredible 9,436 cubic metres per second!
Both Zambia and Zimbabwe closed their gates to the falls earlier this month due to the current pandemic but columns of spray from the falls can be seen from over 30km away.
Video courtesy of Wild Horizons 2 April 2020