Early season dryness persists across southern Africa
Very low and infrequent rainfall in southern Africa has resulted in significant early season moisture deficits, particularly in the KwaZuluNatal region of South Africa, Swaziland, and southern Mozambique. Light to moderate rain is expected over the region during the next week, which could sustain rainfall deficits.
Poorly-distributed rainfall since September and delayed onset of seasonal rain have resulted in increased earlyseason moisture deficits and degraded ground conditions in southern Angola, northern Namibia, southern Zambia, Zimbabwe, and central Mozambique.
Significantly heavy rainfall since early November has triggered numerous floods and river inundation, leading to thousands of displaced people and fatalities throughout several provinces in Kenya. Forecasts suggest a continuation of moderate to heavy rain during the next week, which could worsen conditions on the grounds.
Despite a recent increase in rainfall across Kenya, poorly-distributed rainfall since the beginning of October has maintained moderate seasonal moisture deficits over parts of northcentral Kenya.