The extent of exceptional water deficits is expected to diminish considerably after September, though deficits of varying severity will remain in the forecast and will likely be more severe in the northern half of the continent. In the near-term, July through September, severe to exceptional deficits are forecast in the desert regions of the northern nations, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, northern Niger, and northern Sudan; and also in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Exceptional deficits will retreat in southern Namibia during this period but will emerge in the northeastern portion of the country, eastward into neighboring Botswana and across the border into South Africa. Exceptional surpluses are forecast to continue in eastern Tanzania though September but will retreat to the coast by December.
Africa: Severe water deficits in northern Africa, Gabon, & Botswana
Severe to exceptional water deficit conditions are expected to continue in the desert regions of the northern nations, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, northern Niger, and northern Sudan. Gabon, Botswana and Madagascar are also expected to experience exceptional deficit conditions in the near term. Surpluses in Tanzania may shift southward in the out months entering early 2018. While conditions moderate across sub-Saharan Africa, there are indications that moderate to severe deficits may develop across the Sahel and northern Chad and Sudan in the December through February 2018 period.