Zambia: Subnational Dekadal Rainfall Indicators and Anomalies

WFP provides dekadal rainfall indicators for Zambia aggregated by subnational administrative units using CHIRPS v2 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 up to six times per month to transition from predictive forecasts to validated final observations.

Use Cases

• Monitoring drought conditions by analyzing rainfall anomalies (rfq, r1q, r3q) across administrative zones
• Predicting agricultural yields using 10-day rainfall forecasts (rfh where type='forecast')
• Comparing current seasonal performance against historical norms using long-term averages (rfh_avg)

Strengths

• Integrates CHIRPS v2 satellite data with in-situ station measurements
• Standardized Pcode references for administrative units
• Includes pixel counts (n_pixels) to quantify the underlying data density per unit

Limitations

• Satellite-derived precipitation estimates may vary from local rain gauge readings
• Data transitions through three stages (forecast, preliminary, final), requiring users to filter by the 'type' column for accuracy

Provenance

Source

World Food Programme (WFP) using CHIRPS v2 and CHIRPS-GEFS

Collection Method

Aggregated from Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) satellite imagery and forecasts.

Freshness

Updated frequently; forecasts and observations are refreshed on a cycle including the 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th of each month.

Geography

Zambia