Yemen Subnational Rainfall: Dekadal Indicators and Forecasts

WFP provides dekadal rainfall indicators for Yemen aggregated by subnational administrative units using CHIRPS v2 satellite imagery and CHIRPS-GEFS forecasts. The data tracks 9 specific precipitation metrics including 10-day totals and 3-month anomalies, updated six times per month as of March 2026.

Use Cases

• Drought monitoring using the 'rfq' rainfall anomaly percentage to identify moisture deficits
• Agricultural season tracking by comparing 'r3h' rolling rainfall against 'r3h_avg' historical averages
• Short-term flood risk assessment using 'rfh' 10-day rainfall forecasts

Strengths

• Includes 9 distinct rainfall indicators including rolling 1-month and 3-month aggregations
• Uses standardized WFP Pcode references for subnational administrative units
• Provides data status tracking via the 'type' column to distinguish forecasts from final products

Limitations

• Satellite-derived estimates (CHIRPS) may deviate from local station data in complex terrain
• Final validated records are only available mid-month for the previous month, creating a temporal lag for historical analysis

Provenance

Source

World Food Programme (WFP)

Collection Method

Satellite imagery (CHIRPS v2) integrated with in-situ station data and GEFS forecasts.

Freshness

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

Geography

Yemen