Botswana: Subnational Rainfall Indicators and Anomalies by Dekad

Botswana subnational rainfall indicators are produced by the World Food Programme using CHIRPS v2 and CHIRPS-GEFS satellite-station data. The dataset tracks nine specific precipitation metrics, including 10-day totals and 3-month rolling anomalies, updated up to six times per month. It covers administrative units identified by Pcode references to support humanitarian and agricultural monitoring.

Use Cases

• Monitoring agricultural stress using the 3-month rainfall anomaly (r3q) across different Pcode regions
• Validating seasonal forecasts by comparing 10-day rainfall (rfh) against long-term averages (rfh_avg)
• Assessing data reliability for specific regions using the n_pixels count to determine aggregation density

Strengths

• Includes 9 specific rainfall and anomaly indicators per dekad
• Uses WFP Pcode references for standardized subnational mapping
• Integrates CHIRPS-GEFS forecasts with CHIRPS v2 historical observations

Limitations

• Aggregated at administrative levels, which may mask localized rainfall variability within units
• Temporal lag for 'final' status products which are only published mid-month for the prior month

Provenance

Source

World Food Programme (WFP) via Climate Hazards Center

Collection Method

Satellite imagery (CHIRPS) blended with in-situ station data and aggregated via WFP administrative boundaries.

Freshness

Updated approximately six times per month following a specific forecast and observation cycle.

Geography

Botswana