Rainfall and climate
Rain by region in Somalia, 1991 to 2023: the Gu and Deyr in 18 towns
Rain differs widely across Somalia. Near Bosaso a normal year brings about 50 mm; near Marka, Kismayo, Jowhar and Mogadishu more than 400 mm. In the north most rain falls in the Gu; in Bay, Bakool, Gedo, the Jubas and Middle Shabelle the Deyr brings more. The Deyr of 2010 brought only 1 to 27 percent of normal rain everywhere.
Download the numbers (CSV)Plain text (Markdown)
Where these numbers come from
The figures are from ERA5, the climate reanalysis of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which rebuilds daily rain everywhere on Earth from stations, satellites and a weather model (ECMWF, ERA5). We downloaded daily ERA5 rain for the main town of each region through the Open-Meteo historical weather service and added up the months of each season (Open-Meteo, Historical Weather API). "Normal" means the 1991 to 2020 average for that town. Every year for every town is in the data file somalia-rain-by-region-1991-2023.csv on this page.
What each figure covers. Each figure is for one ERA5 grid square of about 25 to 30 km around the town, not the whole region and not a rain gauge. The exact millimetres can differ from what a gauge in the town would record. For the national picture back to 1950, see the Gu and Deyr rains, 1950 to 2023.
A normal year, town by town
Average rain, 1991 to 2020, in mm (same source):
| Region | Town | Gu (Apr–Jun) | Deyr (Oct–Dec) | Whole year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awdal | Borama | 98 | 42 | 268 |
| Woqooyi Galbeed | Hargeisa | 92 | 44 | 208 |
| Togdheer | Burao | 71 | 37 | 130 |
| Sanaag | Erigavo | 239 | 128 | 456 |
| Sool | Las Anod | 90 | 60 | 160 |
| Bari | Bosaso | 16 | 31 | 52 |
| Nugaal | Garowe | 72 | 48 | 127 |
| Mudug | Galkayo | 91 | 77 | 175 |
| Galgaduud | Dhusamareb | 100 | 89 | 196 |
| Hiiraan | Beledweyne | 113 | 109 | 232 |
| Middle Shabelle | Jowhar | 161 | 210 | 418 |
| Banadir | Mogadishu | 174 | 134 | 417 |
| Lower Shabelle | Marka | 182 | 140 | 430 |
| Bay | Baidoa | 164 | 204 | 402 |
| Bakool | Xudur | 148 | 169 | 332 |
| Gedo | Garbahaarey | 114 | 155 | 290 |
| Middle Juba | Bu'aale | 158 | 189 | 398 |
| Lower Juba | Kismayo | 196 | 143 | 423 |
Three patterns stand out. The north-west and centre get much more rain in the Gu than in the Deyr. Bay, Bakool, Gedo, Middle Juba and Middle Shabelle get more in the Deyr. The Bari coast is the driest place in the table, and the Erigavo highlands in Sanaag among the wettest; the Erigavo square includes high ground, which catches more rain.
The driest seasons, region by region
Rain as a share of each town's normal (same source):
- Deyr 2010: between 1 and 27 percent of normal in all 18 towns, and the driest Deyr since 1991 in 15 of them. Famine was declared in parts of the south in July 2011 (2011 East Africa drought, Wikipedia).
- Deyr 2021: 34 percent or less in 14 of the 18 towns, and under 10 percent in Garowe, Galkayo and Las Anod. Only the far south did better: Bu'aale and Kismayo had 72 percent, Mogadishu 66 percent.
- Gu 2022: the driest Gu since 1991 in Hargeisa, Burao, Erigavo, Las Anod, Garowe, Galkayo and Beledweyne. Las Anod had 3 percent of normal. Near the southern coast it was close to normal (Mogadishu 97 percent, Marka 93 percent). This is the drought the World Meteorological Organization called a run of failed seasons across the Horn of Africa (WMO, August 2022).
- Deyr 2016: under half of normal in 13 towns, with Burao, Garowe, Galkayo, Dhusamareb and Las Anod under 20 percent.
Very wet seasons
- Deyr 1997: above normal in every town, up to 450 percent in Garbahaarey and 427 percent in Burao.
- Deyr 2019: above normal in every town, more than three times normal in Borama and Bosaso.
- Deyr 2023: above normal in 17 of 18 towns, about three times normal in Galkayo, Dhusamareb and Garbahaarey, straight after the drought. Only Erigavo (44 percent) was dry.
How to use this
Compare a town with its own normal, not with other towns: 50 mm is a normal Deyr in Bosaso but a failed one in Baidoa. For forecasts and current conditions by district, see FEWS NET and FAO's SWALIM and FSNAU units (FEWS NET, Somalia; FAO SWALIM).
Related
Sources
- ECMWF, ERA5 · ecmwf.int
- Open-Meteo, Historical Weather API · open-meteo.com
- 2011 East Africa drought, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- WMO, August 2022 · wmo.int
- FEWS NET, Somalia · fews.net
- FAO SWALIM · faoswalim.org
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
- Laascaanood (Las Anod) and SoolSool is a region in the north with Las Anod (Laascaanood) as its capital and about 571,000 people.
- Garoowe (Garowe) and NugaalNugaal is the region around Garoowe (Garowe), Puntland's capital, with about 656,910 people in three districts.
- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
- Dhuusamarreeb (Dhusamareb) and GalgaduudGalgaduud is a region of central Somalia in Galmudug State, with Dhusamareb (Dhuusamarreeb) as its capital and about 845,000 people.
- Beledweyne (Belet Weyne) and HiiraanHiiraan is a region of Hirshabelle State on the Shabelle river, with Beledweyne as its capital and about 505,000 to 598,000 people.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
- Marka (Merca) and Lower ShabelleLower Shabelle is Somalia's biggest farming region, along the Shabelle river south-west of Mogadishu, with Marka (Merca) as its capital and about 835,000 to…
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Rainfall and temperature in Somalia since 1901: the climate in numbersSomalia's yearly rainfall and temperature from 1901 to 2023, the Gu and Deyr rainy seasons by month, the wettest and driest years, and the limits of the data.
- The Gu and Deyr rains, 1950 to 2023: every rainy season in numbersRain in Somalia's Gu and Deyr seasons for every year from 1950 to 2023, compared with normal, with the dry seasons and floods that shaped people's lives.
- Temperature by region in Somalia, 1991 to 2023: 18 townsYearly average, hottest and coolest month, and highest and lowest temperatures for the main town of each of Somalia's 18 regions, 1991 to 2023, from NASA POWER data.