Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia

Habtam Jenberu Wassie; Samrawit Abebe Angasso

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11

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Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia

Habtam Jenberu Wassie^*

, Samrawit Abebe Angasso

Published in Science Discovery Environment (Volume 1, Issue 4)

Received: 24 September 2026 Accepted: 8 October 2026 Published: 26 October 2026

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Abstract

The understanding of changes of rainfall patterns and climate extremes are crucial factors for addressing agricultural risks and sustaining water resources in Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate baseline rainfall climatology (1991-2020) and long-term spatiotemporal changes (1981-2022) of Kiremt seasonal rainfall totals (PRCPTOT) and selected ETCCDI-based rainfall indices across Ethiopia. The daily rainfall was analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator to examine changes of wet and dry spell frequencies (NWS and NDS), spell durations (MWSL and MDSL) and total wet and dry days (TWD and TDD) from gridded and gauge-based datasets. The baseline climatology reveals a clear rainfall gradient with seasonal totals over 800 mm and more than 80 wet days in western highlands, while less than 400 mm and maximum dry spells over 80 days observed in the eastern lowlands. Kiremt rainfall significantly increased at a national scale by 2.56 mm/year (p = 0.004), specifically the central, western and northern highlands. However, the wet- and dry-spell frequencies increased while the maximum wet-spell duration showed no consistent trend while the total wet days declined recently. These changes suggest greater intra-seasonal rainfall variability with concentrated rainfall and frequent dry spells influencing risks of soil erosion, runoff, and water stress and crop yields. Therefore, it requires soil-moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting and climate-smart agricultural practices.

Published in	Science Discovery Environment (Volume 1, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11
Page(s)	166-178
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Kiremt Rainfall, Rainfall Variability, Wet and Dry Spells, Extreme Precipitation Indices, Trend Analysis, Ethiopia

References

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[11]	Segele, Z. T., & Lamb, P. J. (2005). Characterization and variability of Kiremt rainy season over Ethiopia. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, 89(1-4), 153-180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-005-0127-x
[12]	Segele, Z. T., Richman, M. B., Leslie, L. M., & Lamb, P. J. (2015). Seasonal-to-interannual variability of Ethiopia/Horn of Africa monsoon. Part II: Statistical multimodel ensemble rainfall predictions. Journal of Climate, 28(9), 3511-3532. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00476
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APA Style

Wassie, H. J., Angasso, S. A. (2026). Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia. Science Discovery Environment, 1(4), 166-178. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11

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ACS Style

Wassie, H. J.; Angasso, S. A. Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia. Sci. Discov. Environ. 2026, 1(4), 166-178. doi: 10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11

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AMA Style

Wassie HJ, Angasso SA. Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia. Sci Discov Environ. 2026;1(4):166-178. doi: 10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11

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@article{10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11,
  author = {Habtam Jenberu Wassie and Samrawit Abebe Angasso},
  title = {Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia},
  journal = {Science Discovery Environment},
  volume = {1},
  number = {4},
  pages = {166-178},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sdenv.20260104.11},
  abstract = {The understanding of changes of rainfall patterns and climate extremes are crucial factors for addressing agricultural risks and sustaining water resources in Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate baseline rainfall climatology (1991-2020) and long-term spatiotemporal changes (1981-2022) of Kiremt seasonal rainfall totals (PRCPTOT) and selected ETCCDI-based rainfall indices across Ethiopia. The daily rainfall was analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator to examine changes of wet and dry spell frequencies (NWS and NDS), spell durations (MWSL and MDSL) and total wet and dry days (TWD and TDD) from gridded and gauge-based datasets. The baseline climatology reveals a clear rainfall gradient with seasonal totals over 800 mm and more than 80 wet days in western highlands, while less than 400 mm and maximum dry spells over 80 days observed in the eastern lowlands. Kiremt rainfall significantly increased at a national scale by 2.56 mm/year (p = 0.004), specifically the central, western and northern highlands. However, the wet- and dry-spell frequencies increased while the maximum wet-spell duration showed no consistent trend while the total wet days declined recently. These changes suggest greater intra-seasonal rainfall variability with concentrated rainfall and frequent dry spells influencing risks of soil erosion, runoff, and water stress and crop yields. Therefore, it requires soil-moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting and climate-smart agricultural practices.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia
AU  - Habtam Jenberu Wassie
AU  - Samrawit Abebe Angasso
Y1  - 2026/10/26
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11
T2  - Science Discovery Environment
JF  - Science Discovery Environment
JO  - Science Discovery Environment
SP  - 166
EP  - 178
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 3071-5431
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11
AB  - The understanding of changes of rainfall patterns and climate extremes are crucial factors for addressing agricultural risks and sustaining water resources in Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate baseline rainfall climatology (1991-2020) and long-term spatiotemporal changes (1981-2022) of Kiremt seasonal rainfall totals (PRCPTOT) and selected ETCCDI-based rainfall indices across Ethiopia. The daily rainfall was analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator to examine changes of wet and dry spell frequencies (NWS and NDS), spell durations (MWSL and MDSL) and total wet and dry days (TWD and TDD) from gridded and gauge-based datasets. The baseline climatology reveals a clear rainfall gradient with seasonal totals over 800 mm and more than 80 wet days in western highlands, while less than 400 mm and maximum dry spells over 80 days observed in the eastern lowlands. Kiremt rainfall significantly increased at a national scale by 2.56 mm/year (p = 0.004), specifically the central, western and northern highlands. However, the wet- and dry-spell frequencies increased while the maximum wet-spell duration showed no consistent trend while the total wet days declined recently. These changes suggest greater intra-seasonal rainfall variability with concentrated rainfall and frequent dry spells influencing risks of soil erosion, runoff, and water stress and crop yields. Therefore, it requires soil-moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting and climate-smart agricultural practices.
VL  - 1
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Habtam Jenberu Wassie

Meteorological Forecast and Early Warning Research, Ethiopia Meteorological Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0009-2954-7388
Samrawit Abebe Angasso

Meteorological Forecast and Early Warning Research, Ethiopia Meteorological Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

http://orcid.org/0009-0000-9161-7003

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APA Style

Wassie, H. J., Angasso, S. A. (2026). Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia. Science Discovery Environment, 1(4), 166-178. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11

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ACS Style

Wassie, H. J.; Angasso, S. A. Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia. Sci. Discov. Environ. 2026, 1(4), 166-178. doi: 10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11

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AMA Style

Wassie HJ, Angasso SA. Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia. Sci Discov Environ. 2026;1(4):166-178. doi: 10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11,
  author = {Habtam Jenberu Wassie and Samrawit Abebe Angasso},
  title = {Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia},
  journal = {Science Discovery Environment},
  volume = {1},
  number = {4},
  pages = {166-178},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sdenv.20260104.11},
  abstract = {The understanding of changes of rainfall patterns and climate extremes are crucial factors for addressing agricultural risks and sustaining water resources in Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate baseline rainfall climatology (1991-2020) and long-term spatiotemporal changes (1981-2022) of Kiremt seasonal rainfall totals (PRCPTOT) and selected ETCCDI-based rainfall indices across Ethiopia. The daily rainfall was analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator to examine changes of wet and dry spell frequencies (NWS and NDS), spell durations (MWSL and MDSL) and total wet and dry days (TWD and TDD) from gridded and gauge-based datasets. The baseline climatology reveals a clear rainfall gradient with seasonal totals over 800 mm and more than 80 wet days in western highlands, while less than 400 mm and maximum dry spells over 80 days observed in the eastern lowlands. Kiremt rainfall significantly increased at a national scale by 2.56 mm/year (p = 0.004), specifically the central, western and northern highlands. However, the wet- and dry-spell frequencies increased while the maximum wet-spell duration showed no consistent trend while the total wet days declined recently. These changes suggest greater intra-seasonal rainfall variability with concentrated rainfall and frequent dry spells influencing risks of soil erosion, runoff, and water stress and crop yields. Therefore, it requires soil-moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting and climate-smart agricultural practices.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Wet and Dry Spells During the Kiremt Season Over Ethiopia
AU  - Habtam Jenberu Wassie
AU  - Samrawit Abebe Angasso
Y1  - 2026/10/26
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11
T2  - Science Discovery Environment
JF  - Science Discovery Environment
JO  - Science Discovery Environment
SP  - 166
EP  - 178
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 3071-5431
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sdenv.20260104.11
AB  - The understanding of changes of rainfall patterns and climate extremes are crucial factors for addressing agricultural risks and sustaining water resources in Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate baseline rainfall climatology (1991-2020) and long-term spatiotemporal changes (1981-2022) of Kiremt seasonal rainfall totals (PRCPTOT) and selected ETCCDI-based rainfall indices across Ethiopia. The daily rainfall was analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator to examine changes of wet and dry spell frequencies (NWS and NDS), spell durations (MWSL and MDSL) and total wet and dry days (TWD and TDD) from gridded and gauge-based datasets. The baseline climatology reveals a clear rainfall gradient with seasonal totals over 800 mm and more than 80 wet days in western highlands, while less than 400 mm and maximum dry spells over 80 days observed in the eastern lowlands. Kiremt rainfall significantly increased at a national scale by 2.56 mm/year (p = 0.004), specifically the central, western and northern highlands. However, the wet- and dry-spell frequencies increased while the maximum wet-spell duration showed no consistent trend while the total wet days declined recently. These changes suggest greater intra-seasonal rainfall variability with concentrated rainfall and frequent dry spells influencing risks of soil erosion, runoff, and water stress and crop yields. Therefore, it requires soil-moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting and climate-smart agricultural practices.
VL  - 1
IS  - 4
ER  -

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