Examining the characteristics of the June-August (JJA) seasonal rainfall over the Lake Victoria basin

Abstract

Rainfall is an element of great concern in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB). It is presented as the meteorological element with the greatest impact on human activity yet remains very difficult to accurately monitor. The purpose of the study was to examine the characteristics of rainfall that occurred within the June-August (JJA) dry season. The study used characteristics in rain days over the LVB for the period of 1988 to 2018. The study found out that there was an increasing trend in the number of rain days over the study period for the stations of Entebbe, Mbarara, Kabale, and Musoma while Bukoba, Nakuru, Mwanza, Kitale, Kisumu indicated a decreasing trend in the amount of rain days received. The study also found out that there was a general increase in the number of rain days recorded by the Rainfall Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) satellite over the LVB. The negative trend in some of the years is an indication of the existence of variations in the climate and weather events. Thus, rainfall amounts need to continuously be monitored over the basin in all seasons due to the changing nature of climate as it is important for climate modelling, predictions and decision making.