Situation Overview
Parts of northern Somalia and areas along the Juba and Shabelle River basins in Somalia and in the Ethiopian Highlands have experienced heavy rains following the start of the Deyr rains on 7 October 2015. In southern and central Somalia, flash floods have been reported in Balcad, Buur Hakaba, Jowhar, Mahaday, Mataban, Mogadishu and Qansax Dheere. Further north, flash floods have been reported in Buuhoodle and Gaalkacyo districts.
While flooding is recurrent during this time of the year in low-lying areas of Somalia, El Niño conditions have intensified in 2015 and are likely to lead to a wetter than normal Deyr season in parts of the country. At the same time, the El Niño phenomenon is likely to exacerbate drought conditions in Somaliland.
The FAO-Managed Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) predict an elevated risk for flooding in Somalia in the short term with more heavy rains expected within the Shabelle basin. Moderate rains are projected in the Juba basin towards the end of October.