The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has issued a flash-flood alert from July 1 to 10, 2026, warning that intensified rainfall at the onset of the peak rainy season could trigger flash flooding across 27 states.
According to the NiMet report, the heavy rainfall recorded across several parts of the country in June left the soil highly saturated, significantly reducing its capacity to absorb additional rainfall.
As a result, NiMet warned that low-lying communities, urban centres, coastal areas, and locations with poor drainage face a heightened risk of flooding in the coming days.
The advisory identified the most vulnerable as; Taraba, Sokoto, Borno, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Kwara, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Delta, Edo, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa.
The agency also warned that isolated flash floods could result from the expected heavy rainfall, especially in densely populated urban areas and villages that are vulnerable to flooding.
Read Also: Heavy Flooding Submerges Homes, Knocks Out Power Across Parts of Lagos
Additionally, the agency warned that the flooding could lead to traffic congestion, road closures, transport disruptions, temporary power and telecommunications outages, reduced visibility affecting motorists and aviation operations, waterlogged farmlands with possible crop losses, and damage to roads, bridges, drainage systems, and other public infrastructure.
It also advised that stagnant floodwaters could raise the danger of waterborne infections in impacted communities if basic sanitary procedures are not maintained.
Backstory…
In 2024, widespread floods impacted more than 30 states, with the collapse of the Alau Dam in Borno State triggering one of the country’s worst disasters in recent years, claiming lives, displacing several others and destroying homes, farmlands and critical infrastructure.
The following year, severe flooding again ravaged parts of Niger State, including Mokwa, where many lost lives and property.
NiMet’s latest flood alert for 27 states coincides with the onset of peak rainfall, a period historically associated with the highest risk of flash floods, river overflows and widespread destruction across the country.
Read Also: States at High Risk as Temperatures Soar Across Nigeria-NiMet
