KEY MESSAGES
The October to December rains, which are important in the eastern Horn of Africa, continued into mid-January, reducing some of the deficits that had lasted through the first half of December.
Nevertheless, cumulative, seasonal rainfall deficits remain in several areas of the eastern Horn.Near normal to above normal rains occurred from October through December in western Somalia, Somali and southern Oromia Regions in Ethiopia, western Kenya, most of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the southern highlands and western areas of Tanzania.
The short term forecasts suggests a continuation of tropical cyclone activities due to unusually high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the southwestern Indian Ocean that are causing intermittent rains in parts of the eastern Horn of Africa.
