Despite a recent improvement in rainfall, dryness has persisted over parts of West Africa.
Below-average rainfall observed in northwestern Ethiopia and central South Sudan since the start of the season.
1) An uneven distribution of the March-May rain has adversely impacted crops and ground conditions over the SNNP, central and Belg-producing areas of Ethiopia, eastern Eritrea, and Djibouti. As the March-May season had already ended, recovery is unlikely.
2) A delayed onset of the rainy season, followed by poorly-distributed rainfall, has led to abnormal dryness across Burkina Faso, the northern parts of Ghana, Togo, and Benin, western Niger, and northcentral Nigeria, The lack of rainfall over the past five weeks has delayed planting and already negatively affected cropping activities over many local areas of the region.
