Drought conditions and low flows

Except for short-lived rainfall events end of June and mid-July, the drought conditions have continued throughout most of June and July. These two months usually bring the rainy season and 443 mm of precipitation (1981-2010 mean), but this year only 181 mm was recorded (see monthly data given below).

Miomote Monthly Precipitation (Amedas)
Month  2018  Mean (1981-2010)
   1         319     266
   2         231     190
   3         128     160
   4         231     149
   5         319     150
   6         96       180
   7         85       263
   8         477     209
Total     1886    1567

August became extremely wet for the second half of the month, recording nearly 500 mm over just 2 weeks or so. This unusual distribution of precipitation led to extreme low flow conditions and water shortages until the rains finally arrived on August 16 (see next blog post). Despite above average precipitation overall for the period January to August, the unusual distribution led to a three month droughty period from mid-May to mid-August.