?? Climate change around the globe: A Spotlight on Niger ???

Every month, Weather Impact will shed light on the impact of climate change in a specific country. We want to raise awareness about the challenges faced by the countries most affected by these changes. Unfortunately, these nations often lack the necessary resources to effectively adapt to climate change. This is often an addition to economic or political difficulties that further complicate their situation.

The rising temperature of air and therefore seawater leads to erratic rainfall patterns.

The Sahel region in the southern part of Niger is one of those many regions. Since the country’s coup last July, the country is in a politically unstable situation and faces extreme weather on a yearly basis. The global average temperature has increased about 1 degree since 1950, but the Sahel region's temperature rise exceeds that at 1.5-2 degrees. The rising temperature of air and therefore seawater leads to erratic rainfall patterns as a result of transportation of warm & humid air by winds. This can lead to more droughts as well as more heavy rain. Rainfall trends in the Sahel Region show distinct phases, with above average monsoon rains in the 50s-60s followed an extended drought period in the 70s-90s. Rainfall has shown a welcome recovery in the early 2000s, but the continuous increase in summer rainfall has now become problematic.

Since 2013 the region has faced severe annual flooding in August and September as a result of extreme precipitation events. These severe floodings often result in dozens of casualties and can affect hundreds of thousands people in a period of weeks.

The mean precipitation in August in certain regions in Niger increased up to 60 mm per month, which is 30% more than the average precipitation.

The figure shows the change in monthly mean precipitation in August between 1983-2003 and 2003-2023. The largest 5 cities are depicted with an icon with a size relative to its amount of inhabitants. The figure shows that especially in the more densely populated areas in the South & West, the monthly mean precipitation increased up to 60 mm. Considering that the average precipitation for August in this region is around 180 mm, this means an increase of 30% The result is that Niamey, Maradi & Zinder are struck annually by devastating floods, leaving hundreds of casualties and thousands of people displaced.

Looking forward, the projections don't paint a reassuring picture. West Africa, including Niger, is predicted to experience a temperature increase of 1.5 to 4 degrees by the middle of this century compared to the period of 1986-2005. Which also means more heavy rains. This anticipated rise in temperatures will further challenge the resilience of the region and underscores the urgency for collective climate action.

Climate change knows no boundaries, and it's up to us to make a difference.

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