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West Africa Seasonal Monitor 2022 Season – Dekadal Update: July 2022, Dekad 1 (1-10 July)

Countries
Mali
+ 17 more
Sources
WFP
Publication date
Origin
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Key Highlights

• During the first dekad of July (1-10 July), West Africa experienced mixed rainfall patterns with moderate to heavy rains recorded in central Burkina Faso, eastern CAR, north-western Cote d’Ivoire, southern Nigeria, western and eastern Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, southern Senegal, Sierra Leone and western Liberia. Meanwhile, light rains were received in most of Senegal, western Niger, Mauritania and central Mali.

• Compared to the long-term average, the rains during this first dekad of the month of July were mixed. Some areas such as central Burkina Faso, northern Cote d’Ivoire, central and eastern Niger, western Chad, western Nigeria and central CAR experienced significantly above normal rainfall. On the other hand, most other areas remained abnormally dry, particularly southern Liberia, southern Ghana and parts of Sierra Leone, Guinea and south-western Mali.

• Over the past month, most areas in West Africa benefitted from normal to above normal rainfall, except for northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, western Niger, central Mali, eastern Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, central Guinea and south-western Cote d’Ivoire, where drier than normal conditions were recorded.

• According to the short-range forecast, favourable conditions are expected in the western parts of the region with above average conditions in Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and central Burkina Faso. On the other hand, coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea are expected to receive below average rainfall until the end of July.

• According to the PRESASS seasonal forecast updated in May 2022, average to above average seasonal rainfall is expected in most of the Sahelian Belt (from Senegal through to Chad), including Cabo Verde. Average to below average rainfall is expected in southeastern Nigeria and south-western Cameroon. The seasonal forecast also suggests that the start of the season will be early to normal, with shorter than normal dry spells during the first half of the rainy season across the Sahelo-Sudanian zone.