Climate Prediction Center’s Africa Hazards Outlook July 16 – 22, 2015
Moisture increases for portions of the Senegal region; dry areas farther east show little improvement.
Moisture deficits deepen in southeast Sudan, Eritrea and northwest Ethiopia with a continued lack of rainfall.
1) A delayed onset of the rainy season, followed by poorly-distributed rainfall, has led to abnormal dryness across Burkina Faso, the central and northern parts of Ghana, Togo, and Benin, western and southern Niger, and northern Nigeria. The lack of rainfall has delayed planting and has already negatively affected cropping activities over many local areas.
2) A delayed onset and general lack of rainfall has resulted in abnormal dryness across extreme western portions of Ethiopia, western Eritrea, and eastern Sudan. The most impacted states in Sudan are Gadaref, Sinar, and Blue Nile, including important agricultural regions where much planting is being delayed.