ReliefWeb

Remnants of Cyclone Jaya will bring locally heavy rainfall to areas of Madagascar and northern coastal Mozambique during the next week.

Though portions of The Horn are experiencing slow to start seasonal rainfall, areas of the Ethiopian Highlands have seen moderate to heavy precipitation.

While poor seasonal rains have negatively affected crops in parts of the Maize Triangle, southern Zimbabwe, and southern Mozambique, recent rains will improve conditions in the Limpopo Basin.

The Water Requirements Satisfaction Index, shown below, indicates broad regions of poor water availability for Maize agriculture in much of southern Africa. Due to erratic rainfall during the season, many crops received a lack of sufficient moisture, and associated warmer than normal temperatures may have led to further problems in many locations. Areas of the western Maize triangle likely saw the most unfavorable growing conditions during the season.