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Senegal + 15 more

West Africa Seasonal Monitor: August 11, 2020

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The season is progressing well with mostly average to above-average and well distributed rainfall

KEY MESSAGES

  • The Intertropical Front (ITF) continues its northward migration and is just south of its climatological position. • The Sudanian-Guinean and the Sahelian zones continued to receive mostly well distributed above average rainfall in July (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

  • The minor dry season in the bimodal zone has been drier than average (Figure 1). UPDATE ON

SEASONAL PROGRESS

  • The Intertropical Front (ITF) continues its northward seasonal migration and is now located between 18-20 degrees of latitude north. It is slightly north of its climatological position from north-central Mali and eastward and slightly south of it in the western part of north-central Mali and Mauritania.

  • The Sahelian zone continues to receive mostly above average and well distributed rainfall (Figure 1 and Figure 2). Drier than average areas include northern Maradi and southwestern Tahoua regions in Niger and southwestern Gao region in Mali.

  • The Sudanian-Guinean zone has also received average to above average and well distributed rainfall, and even in north-central Cote d’Ivoire that suffered from both below average rainfall condition and long dry spells earlier in the season, moisture conditions have improved significantly.

  • Generally, the growing season has been progressing well in the region. Moisture conditions due to mostly above average and well distributed rainfall in the Sahelian zone, that is most sensitive to dryness, have been adequate for crops development and growth l This includes the few marginal agricultural areas that were affected by below average rainfall spells in June, but still benefited from good time distribution of rainfall that offset the rainfall deficits’ effects on crops.