Sudan Subnational Rainfall: Dekadal Indicators and CHIRPS Forecasts

The World Food Programme provides dekadal rainfall indicators for Sudan aggregated by subnational administrative units using CHIRPS satellite imagery and CHIRPS-GEFS forecasts. The data tracks 10-day, 1-month, and 3-month rainfall totals alongside long-term averages and percentage anomalies. Records are updated multiple times per month to transition from forecasted values to final observations.

Use Cases

• Drought monitoring by analyzing the 3-month rainfall anomaly (r3q) to identify persistent moisture deficits
• Agricultural season tracking by comparing current 10-day rainfall (rfh) against long-term averages (rfh_avg)
• Early warning analysis by utilizing CHIRPS-GEFS forecasts identified in the type column to predict upcoming moisture stress

Strengths

• Integrates CHIRPS v2 satellite imagery with in-situ station data for improved accuracy
• Includes WFP Pcode references for direct join-capability with humanitarian administrative maps
• Provides pixel counts (n_pixels) to indicate the spatial data density for each unit aggregation

Limitations

• Satellite-derived estimates may deviate from ground-truth rain gauge measurements in specific microclimates
• Data for a single time period is subject to multiple revisions as it moves from forecast to final status

Provenance

Source

World Food Programme (WFP) using CHIRPS and CHIRPS-GEFS from the Climate Hazards Center

Collection Method

Aggregation of satellite-derived precipitation imagery and in-situ station data into administrative boundaries

Freshness

Updated six times per month following a cycle of initial forecasts, updated forecasts, preliminary observations, and final products.

Geography

Sudan