Gambia: Rainy Season Not Over Yet, Says Chief Meteorologist

The Chief Meteorologist at the Department of Water Resources (DWR), Mr. Tijan Bojang, has said the rainy season is not over yet, despite public belief that it had ended. He explained that the department's prediction shows the cessation period across the country will occur between October 20th and 26th, with the season expected to last between 122 and 125 days.

Mr. Bojang said many people were caught by surprise when the rains continued into October. "Those who thought the rainy season had ended were taken by surprise when the rains continued to fall in October, which seemed a bit rare to others," he said.

He added that the department's forecast predicted the current pattern. "If you go through our JAS report, our prediction states that rainfall is expected to range from average to above average across the country, with projected totals between 700mm and 900mm," he explained.

Commenting on public concerns that late rains might destroy crops, Mr. Bojang said the department cannot make such an assessment until the rainy season officially ends. "As of now, we cannot tell you whether there will be more rain, and we cannot assess the amount of rainfall that has fallen so far," he said. "But we can say that the indications show that the forecast is expected to be 98 percent accurate."

He emphasized that the rainy season is still active and that people should continue to follow updates from the Department of Water Resources. "The rainy season is not over yet, and rainfall is still within our predicted timeline," Mr. Bojang reaffirmed.

It could be recalled that around June and July, the Department of Water Resources issued its Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) in fulfillment of its mandate to provide timely climate and weather information to the government and the public. The 2025 prediction focused on the July-August-September (JAS) period and indicated a 35 percent chance of above-normal rainfall, a 45 percent chance of near-normal rainfall, and a 20 percent chance of below-normal rainfall.

The department stated that the forecast is particularly important for climate-sensitive sectors, including agriculture, construction, water resources, disaster risk reduction, health, energy, and tourism. It added that DWR uses advanced forecasting tools and scientific methods, drawing on sea surface temperature analyses, global climate model outputs, and regional expertise to prepare its JAS outlook each year.

Read the original article on Foroyaa.