Projected Rainfall Activity Under the 2020/2021 Rainfall Season
The Twenty-Fourth Annual Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF-24) was held virtually from 27th to 28th August 2020 with a view to presenting a consensus outlook for the 2020/2021 rainfall season over the SADC region.
SARCOF is a forum of local, regional and international weather experts who meet annually to provide projections of the ensuing rainfall season.
The SARCOF-24 Official Statement indicated that the bulk of the SADC region was likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall for most of the period between October and December (OND) 2020.
Normal to below-normal rainfall was expected in North-Western Angola, the bulk of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most of Eastern Madagascar, Northern Malawi, Northern Mozambique, Seychelles, the United Republic of Tanzania and North-Eastern Zambia.
The January to March (JFM) 2021 period was projected to record normal to above-normal rainfall across the entire SADC region.
Similarly, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) of the USA indicated a slight to moderate tilt towards above-average rainfall over portions of Southern Africa during the period from December 2020 through to March 2021.