The Uganda Atlas

NEMA 2007

Climate disaster: Cattle trapped in a flooded Teso seasonal wetland after heavy rains. The wetland had been encroached on by massive rice growing (2007)

U ganda’s rainfall and climatic patterns are influenced by variations in altitude, the Inter- Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and the air currents such as the South-East and North-East monsoons. In general, most parts of the country experience fairly well marked rainy and dry seasons. Furthermore, in areas adjacent to large water bodies such as Lake Victoria, maritime conditions tend to modify climate while in mountainous and highlands, climate is modified orographically (relief). The rainfall amounts vary over the country’s regions. Areas around Lake Victoria receive the highest annual rainfall averages of between 1200-2000 mm. The Karamoja region in the north-eastern part of the country is characterized by an intense hot and dry season lasting from November to March. This is followed by a single rain reason that begins from April and ends around August. This region receives the lowest average annual rainfall in the range of 300-625 mm. The rainfall peaks in May and July while the driest months are December and January that are characterized by extensive burning of the dominantly shrub vegetation. In the western region the mean annual rainfall is between 875-1000 mm. However, on the higher plateaus of the region, the rainfall is over 1250 mm. Uganda is divided into the following six climatic zones, mainly based on rainfall patterns (Figure 4).

NEMA 2007

Floods caused by heavy rains in Aswa county (2007)

7