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rainfalllatest news & developments
Many African countries have doubled the importation of agricultural food crops from outside the continent, even after the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area. (Halden Krog/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Summer crop harvest forecasts down notably from last year

South Africa started the 2023-24 summer crop season with optimism, but the outlook is now lower because of the excessive heat and limited rainfall across major crop-growing regions

A view of the Vaal River after heavy rains caused floods in Parys town of Orange Free state, South Africa on February 19, 2023. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Heavy rain becoming more prevalent in parts of SA, study shows

As the country warms, the intensity of rainfall is expected to increase

A general view of containers that fell over at a container storage facility following heavy rains and winds in Durban, on April 12, 2022. (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP)

How the perfect storm in KwaZulu-Natal developed

The wet season that came before the four-day heavy rainfall and the low pressure system created ideal conditions for flooding in the eThekwini metro

Six countries house the Earth’s African lung — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of the Congo.

Congo Basin: Earth’s African ‘lung’ is it most resilient

The Congo Basin – the world’s second-biggest rainforest – resists extreme heat and drought and deserves the spotlight at COP26

Climate change threatens survival of endemic species the most

If Earth warms by 3°C, a third of species living on land and about half of endemic marine species will become extinct

As the Karoo hopes for an end to its worst drought in a generation, the region’s history may hold important lessons for its future.

Seven lean years in the Northern Cape

As the Karoo hopes for an end to its worst drought in a generation, the region’s history may hold important lessons for its future

(Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters)

Rain brings tentative hope of a normal farming season

After weeks of oppressive heat and decreasing dam levels, recent rains renew hope for farmers

Professor Alison Lewis

Freezing solutions for a water-stressed country

Engineering Research Capacity Development Award

About 40% of Nairobi’s water supply gets lost on the way to consumers.

What Kenya needs to do to take advantage of its rainfall

Looking at Kenya’s rainwater harvesting, the government favours runoff systems in the form of dams because they can serve a larger population

(Oupa Nkosi/M&G)

Day Zero in 2019 determined by April’s rainfall

The month’s rainfall will be key to stave off Cape Town’s Day Zero in 2019

Reproductive medicine specialist Dr Lawrence Gobetz says unnecessary procedures may compromise your chances of falling pregnant.

What Southern Africa can learn from other countries about adapting to drought

The experiences of other countries can provide valuable lessons for Cape Town on how to better cope with its water crisis

Parts of SA may see more rainfall, research shows

New research from Wits University shows tropical storms are not becoming more frequent but they are moving south – resulting in increased rainfall.