Weekly Introduction:
Southern Africa Season to date
There have been two very distinct areas in this year's southern Africa wet season. Drier than normal rainfall conditions in South Africa's maize triangle, and nearby portions of Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, and Mozambique, contrast sharply with the wetter than normal season in Madagascar, northern Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and near the Caprivi Strip.
As expected crop yields are expected to be reduce in certain areas in the south, while flooding has the potential to cause damage to crops further to the north and east. These conditions are not uniform throughout the region and individual areas may experience conditions that are very distinct from those in neighboring areas.
The season is also only part of the way through and changes in the current pattern do have the potential to greatly alter the impacts of this year's season.
See specific hazard areas for more information. Below is a product from the USGS depicting soil water conditions for maize production. This clearly demonstrates the areas that have had excessive moisture and those areas with moisture deficits.