During the period of low sun in the Northern Hemisphere (from December to January, when the sun has moved to its southern limit), the situation described above is reversed. Most parts of Africa are warm or hot, but rainfall varies from region to region. The harmattan is a warm, dry, northeasterly or easterly wind that blows out of the southern Sahara and is frequently laden with large quantities of sand and dust. For that reason, this formulation is conventionally used in studies of interannual variability of African rainfall. It has a hot, humid climate along the coast and around Lake Victoria, but cooler climates in the highlands and mountains. Regions with the equatorial, or tropical wet, type of climate, or variants thereof, are the wettest in Africa. The climate across West Africa varies from arid to tropical monsoon conditions. No long-term trends in African rainfall are evident. This is because the incremental time-steps are small enough, i.e. The central portion of the continent is wetter, with tropical rainforests, grasslands, and semi-arid climates. We evaluated the combined aspects of anomalous high rainfall and concurrent soil saturation in a RVF forecast model for South Africa, using accurate temporal and spatial records of the 2008–2011 epidemics to derive risk maps (Directorate of Animal Health, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, pers. In South Africa, south of KwaZulu-Natal, the winter rainfall is more pronounced, and the … Typically experiencing higher average temperatures, urban areas also frequently have less wind and lower relative humidity; there is too little relevant data from Africa, however, to permit a detailed study of urban climates. The great distinguishing feature of this climatic region is the seasonal character of its rainfall. Usually between 30 000 and 50 000 litres. Through the Africa Rainfall Project, researchers at Delft University of Technology will create high-resolution computer simulations of localized rainstorms in sub-Saharan Africa. There are two peak periods of rainfall corresponding to the double passage of the ITCZ. 4.1 Modified Equatorial Climate of the Coast. Temperatures are relatively high throughout the year and the majority of the This report provides a general overview of the regional climate in southern Africa. Climate is shaped by the interaction of several interrelated factors; the most significant are altitude (topography) and rainfall. Immediately south of the convergence zone, rainfall is heavy because of the unstable nature of maritime tropical air over a heated land surface. Near the equator there are two very wet seasons, as the sun passes overhead in spring and fall. Some attribute this decline to anthropogenic forcing, whereas others maintain that it is a feature of internal climate variability. This is the area of massive uplift over Africa and very high rainfall figures By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The amount of heat from the sun plays a major role in determining climate. High-resolution rainfall data are often required as input into continuous simulation hydrological models and other hydrological studies. At the ITCZ itself, however, precipitation is prolonged and intense as air converges between the maritime and continental air masses and is forced aloft. This region is characterized by rainfall throughout the year, but it is heaviest in summer. Central Asia: Mongolian Region: The region lies in the heart of the continent containing a vast territory of mountains, and plateaus from Tibet to Mongolia. This region is characterized by rainfall throughout the year, but it is heaviest in summer. Thorn woodland, grassland, and semidesert vegetation. North Africa has an arid desert climate, with high temperatures and very little precipitation (although temperatures in the mountains and the Sahara at nighttime can drop below freezing). Winter rainfall region, rain throughout the year, summer rainfall region. Tropical rainforests extend to the north and south of the equator. The Sahel region covers a belt of grasslands south of the Sahara stretching from Senegal to Sudan. Stormwater tanks are also required in built-up areas to slow the volume of water entering the drainage system during a high rainfall event. Mean monthly temperatures are lower than in tropical climates, dropping to about 50 °F (10 °C) in winter, while summer (June–July in North Africa, and December–January in Southern Africa) temperatures may sometimes exceed those of tropical climates. Region 1, the easternmost region, has more rainfall in the boreal spring, similar to eastern equatorial Africa. A fourth factor consists of the cool ocean currents, which chill the winds that blow over them and thereby influence the climate of the neighbouring shores. Summer rainfall in one of the world's most drought-prone regions can now be predicted months or years in advance, climate scientists at the Met Office and the University of Exeter say. In sub-Saharan Africa, 95 percent of agriculture depends on rainfall, which makes accurate weather forecasts absolutely crucial. The ITCZ (also known as the heat Equator) moves between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn depending on the season. During this time heavy rain falls every day in the afternoon. In some respects the climate is similar to the warm temperate upland climate, except that temperatures are even lower and snow occurs on the tops of the highest peaks, such as Kilimanjaro. Our latest episode for parents features the topic of empathy. The Southern region of Africa lies in the southernmost part of the continent, as the name implies. According to Köppen and Geiger, this climate is classified as Csb. They are home to thousands of plants and animal species. The rainfall is high and ranges between 1000mm and 1800mm. This is experienced in the coastal region of E.Africa. Even the driest month of the year receives rainfall more than 6cm. Summary of rainfall, ERA‐Interim column‐integrated westerly moisture flux and MJO during the 2018 East Africa long rains. It is a region of diverse people and cultures. More specifically, our objectives are as follows: The Indo-Gangetic Plains located South and upwind of the Himalayan foothills. There is high average temperatures and humidity throughout the year. South Africa’s highest rainfall occurs in the eastern and southern mountains such as the Drakensberg, from Limpopo, through Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal to the northern parts of the Eastern Cape. The rainfall is high and ranges between 1000mm and 1800mm. Projected rainfall change over sub-Saharan Africa in the mid- and late 21st century is uncertain. As in the desert and semiarid climatic zones, mean monthly temperatures show less variation than daily temperatures. The diverse climates of Africa range from scorching deserts to icy glaciers, from steamy rainforests to grassy plains. In contrast, Zhang, Brandt, Guichard, Tian, and Fensholt reported a stronger recovery of rainfall totals for the 1983–2015 period in the broadly defined West African Sahel, compared to regions to the East (Chad, Sudan), but lack of ground calibration for the satellite‐based data set in the latter region … Rising greenhouse gases have boosted rainfall in the Sahel region of Africa, easing droughts that killed 100,000 people in the 1970s and 1980s, in … The air masses of relevance to the African climate may be broadly classified as maritime tropical, maritime equatorial, continental tropical, maritime polar, and continental polar. World climates are generally divided into five large regions: tropical, dry, mid-latitude, high latitude, and highland.The regions are divided into smaller subregions that are described below. In region 2, the westernmost region, the second rainy season is the more intense. Humidity is always high, making life in this region very unpleasant. Here we analyze the relationship between El Ni˜no Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and South Africa austral winter rainfall using a 682 raingauges daily rainfall database documenting the … They differ from true desert regions in being just within reach of the ITCZ in the course of its seasonal movement and therefore receiving more rainfall. We used rainfall and temperature records between 1987 and 2016 from 46 weather stations across South Africa to calculate annual rainfall seasonality characteristics using two methods. First, most of the continent—which extends from 35° S to about 37° N latitude—lies within the tropics. 2013; Nicholson 2017, respectively) and a precursor to the WAM in its coastal phase (May–June) and over the Sahel (July–September) (Nicholson and Grist 2003). The forms of non-randomness which are investigated include linear trends, persistence and quasi-periodic fluctuations. However, because rainfall in this area is often localized—sometimes almost at the level of one farm—it's difficult to forecast accurately with satellite data, which show larger weather patterns. This is an improvement from the previous season, where less rainfall resulted in adverse impacts on agriculture, water resources and hydropower generation in most of the region. Parts of eastern Ethiopia and Somalia near the Indian Ocean have a desert climate. For example, the rainfall may be monsoonal and the second rainy season may be all but nonexistent. The West Africa Sahel region is a semi-arid area that runs from the Atlantic Ocean eastward to Chad, separating the Sahara Desert to the north and the Sudanian Savana to the south. Name the 3 most important rainfall regions in South Africa. Although some high-level similarities are evident, digging into the specifics of certain regions and countries shows that Africa comprises a range of distinct investment destinations, each with its own attractions, flaws, cultural differences and business practices. In order to understand the distribution of natural vegetation, agriculture, wildlife, and domestic livestock in Africa, we must consider climate. 1.1 General overview The climate across southern Africa … During this time heavy rain falls every day in the afternoon. In doing so, one has to meet two challenges. Areas that experience tropical monsoon climate include areas along the coastal belt e.g. While these factors help to account for the broad climatic patterns of the African continent, there are nevertheless numerous local variations to be found from place to place within the same climatic zone. In consequence, the influence of the sea extends farther inland in Southern Africa. We then explored how these characteristics … (a) Shows the percentage of normal rainfall received over Eastern Africa in October–December 2019 from TAMSATv3 (mean based on 1985–2019). Predicting shifts in rainfall patterns in South Africa is much less certain. The mountain climatic region includes the high mountain areas of Ethiopia and the lake region of East Africa. We focus on the April rainfall, a month of high seasonal rainfall over west and east tropical Africa (e.g., Washington et al. Climates of Africa - "Low" and "High" Africa. Nutrients in the top layers of the soil are washed away after torrential rain, on the other side nothing can grow if it rains too little. The Highveld meets this definition and probably owes much to unaided nature for its creation and perpetuation, since fires caused by lightning strikes are relatively frequent. The regional rainfall pattern for the 2019/20 agricultural season is encouraging, as parts of southern Africa are expected to receive adequate rainfall in the first half of the season. There are seven climatic regions in Kenya. In the last decades droughts have caused hunger and starvation in many part of the Sahel and Ethiopia. The box in (a) shows East Africa region of study, and the averaging region for time series in (c) and (d), where dotted lines show the medians (med), lower quartiles (LQ) and upper quartiles (UQ) calculated using data within the range of years listed in the figure legends. But the most notable anomaly can be observed on the western African coast from around Cape Three Points, Ghana, eastward to Benin, where, although the bimodal rainfall regime prevails, the total annual precipitation is less than 40 inches (1,000 millimetres). Plant life is influenced by the amount of rainfall. Moreover, a quasi-permanent subtropical high-pressure cell (the Saharan anticyclone) develops in the heart of northern Africa, while in Southern Africa the belt of high pressure on land weakens during the time of high sun (the season when the Sun is overhead—in December and January in the south). The rainiest areas are the Lake Victoria basin, the mountains, and the coastal islands, which receive more than 59 inches … This region covers a little less than half of the total surface area of the continent, extending toward the Equator from the semiarid areas. As the other equatorial climate in this region, this region has no dry season but has a well-developed double maximum rainfall in May and October. Extreme rainfall in West Africa: A regional modeling ... rainfall extremes in order to provide regional maps of high quantiles of the distributions (typically, 20 to 100 year or higher return period values), thus allowing to estimate these quantiles at nonobserved sites. Rising temperatures, drought and erratic rainfall are making growing coffee harder. These quantify the strength of seasonality, and the wet-season start- and end-dates, length, total rainfall amount, number of rain days and rainfall intensity. Most of Africa is divided into wet and dry seasons. hot region like a tropical rain forest. Rising greenhouse gases have boosted rainfall in the Sahel region of Africa, easing droughts that killed 100,000 people in the 1970s and 1980s, in a rare positive effect of climate … During the period of high sun, the maritime air masses produce up to six months of rainfall, the length of the rainy season depending on nearness to the Equator. Among the many explanations that have been suggested are that the presence of a cold body of water offshore chills the lower layers of the maritime air mass and makes it stable, that the body of cold air that forms offshore diverts the incoming airstreams to the west and east of the anomalously dry area, that there is a strong tendency for the winds to blow parallel to the shore during the rainy seasons, that the absence of highlands deprives the region of orographic (mountain) rainfall, that fluctuations in the offshore moisture-bearing winds occur during the rainy season and reduce rainfall, and that local meteorological peculiarities of thunderstorms contribute to the reduction in rainfall. While the Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate with winter rainfall, most of the country experiences summer rain. Climate is a long-term weather pattern, the sum of features such as temperature, rainfall, and wind. The IPCC expects Central Africa to see a decrease in the length of wet spells and a slight increase in heavy rainfall. Climate Information Tool, Monthly Data This tool provides data for any location in Africa, even if no weather station is available. The coldest regions of Africa lie in the eastern highlands and southern Africa. the N.E & S.E monsoons tend to bring in heavy rainfall. In the four equatorial regions rainfall tends to peaks in the boreal spring and autumn. The humid subtropical marine climate is restricted to the southeast coast of Africa. The climate is basically influenced by the seasonal winds known as the monsoon winds. Warm all year, distint rainy or dry seasons, at least 20 inches of rain during the summer. The summer rainfall over the JJAS region is negatively correlated with ENSO. Since the coastal regions are at a lower altitude, high temperatures are experienced. A Warmer Cape Region By the end of this century, southern Africa will be an average of 3.4°C warmer, according to the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. The green polygon in both panels illustrates the location of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Most of Africa is divided into wet and dry seasons. There is no rainfall on the northern side of the convergence zone, since the region is completely under the dry continental tropical air mass originating over the Sahara. Fifth, because of the extensive plateau surfaces of the continent and the absence of high and long mountain ranges comparable to, for example, the Andes in South America or the Himalayas in Asia, climatic zones in Africa tend to shade into one another, rather than change abruptly from place to place. The Sahara Desert is the massive but largely empty region in North Africa that contains the world's largest hot deserts; The Maghreb is a region of northwest Africa encompassing the coastlands and Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. First, extreme events are rare by definition, hence difficult to record. In East Africa Rodhe and Virji (1976)used agraphical technique inexamining the nature of trend of annual rainfall of 35 stations concentrated mainly i~~Kenya and northern Tanzania. East Africa, consisting of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, straddles the equator. Temperatures are about the same as those in the desert regions. Near the equator there are two very wet seasons, as the sun passes overhead in spring and fall. 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