As of November 2024, most of Afghanistan is expected to have less rainfall than usual during the winter wet season. Although some early-season rain has been recorded, overall precipitation is likely to stay below average throughout the winter. Snow levels vary, with lower areas seeing less snow than usual and higher areas experiencing a mix of more or less snow than normal. This pattern is expected to continue, making it harder to build snowpacks and limiting water supplies for future use.
The outlook for vegetation and farming shows some challenges ahead. With less rain and higher-than-normal temperatures forecasted, rainfed crops and grazing lands are likely to suffer from sub-optimal growing conditions. The warmer temperatures expected through spring 2025 will risk to worsen water shortages, further reducing crop yields and damaging pasturelands.
Affected Regions:
In November 2024, conditions in some pockets of the country worsened compared to the previous months – these pockets are located in the Western (Farah, Herat), Southern (Helmand, Kandahar, Nimroz, Zabul), and South-Eastern (Ghazni and Paktika) regions.
The temporary lack of remote sensing data for the Central and North-Eastern regions (marked in grey) underscores the need to enhance field observations by partners on the ground to better understand how the situation is evolving in these areas.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.