Climate Data Update, August 2010

Issued: September 15, 2010

During the month of August, observed rainfall data from weather stations in Somalia and FSNAU field reports indicate that significant rainfall was received in northwestern regions and parts of southern regions. Borama and Hargeisa in the North recorded 108 mm and 40 mm of rainfall respectively while Marere in the South received 75 mm, which is within normal for the month of August (Map 1). Sunny and dry conditions with minimal rainfall persisted over most places in the central and north eastern parts of the country. Rainfall estimates (RFE) also confirm these observations as is reflected in Map 2 of the Climate Data Update (PDF, 1.71MB).

The rains received during the month of august are likely to contribute significantly to pasture productivity, especially in the key pastoral regions considering that they are occurring during predominantly dry ‘Hagaa’ season. Following the good rainfall performance during the last ‘Gu’ season, vegetation conditions continued to improve during the month with Normalised Difference Vegetation Index map (Map 10) showing improvements especially in northern Mudug and Galgadud regions compared to the long term average. Some of the Riverine areas of the Juba show greener than normal conditions as a result of the off-season crops planted after the flooding that occurred during the ‘Gu’ main growing season.