Seasonal Monitor
Mostly normal start of season with average to above-average, well distributed rainfall
May 2020
IPC v3.0 Acute Food Insecurity Phase
1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3: Crisis
4: Emergency
5: Famine
Would likely be at least one phase worse without current or programmed humanitarian assistance
FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners.
IPC v3.0 Acute Food Insecurity Phase
1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3+: Crisis or higher
Would likely be at least one phase worse without
current or programmed humanitarian assistance
current or programmed humanitarian assistance
FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners.
FEWS NET Remote Monitoring countries use a colored outline to represent the highest IPC classification in areas of concern.
IPC v3.0 Acute Food Insecurity Phase
Presence countries:
1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3: Crisis
4: Emergency
5: Famine
Remote monitoring
countries:
countries:
1: Minimal
2: Stressed
3+: Crisis or higher
Would likely be at least one phase worse without
current or programmed humanitarian assistance
current or programmed humanitarian assistance
Concentration of displaced people – hover over maps to view food security phase classifications for camps in Nigeria.
FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners.
FEWS NET Remote Monitoring countries use a colored outline to represent the highest IPC classification in areas of concern.
Partners:

USGS
Update on Seasonal Progress
- The Intertropical Front (ITF) is the leading edge of the monsoon system that brings rain to West Africa during summer. During the past month the ITF’s northward migration has been generally lagging but very close to its climatological position (Figure 1). It was positioned between 10.0 at 25 degrees of longitude East and 12.8 degrees of latitude at 5 degrees of longitude East in late April.
- The region has received mostly above average rainfall (Figure 2 and Figure 3). As a result, moisture conditions have been adequate and favorable for the development of planted crops over of the bi-modal and Sudanian-Guinean zones where rainfall is ongoing.
- According to the short and medium term forecasts from NOAA/CPC, rainfall is expected to continue expanding northward normally and no significant dry spell is expected within the next two weeks. The ITF is expected to progress at a normal pace in its northward migration during this time period.
Forecasts
- The NOAA-CPC Northern American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) seasonal forecast for the next several three-month periods (June-August, July-September and August-October) all generally predict average to above average seasonal rainfall conditions over most of the region.
About this Report
FEWS NET’s Seasonal Monitor reports are produced for Central America and the Caribbean, West Africa, East Africa, Central Asia, and Somalia every 10-to-30 days during the region’s respective rainy season(s). Seasonal Monitors report updates on weather events (e.g., rainfall patterns) and associated impacts on ground conditions (e.g., cropping conditions, pasture and water availability), as well as the short-term rainfall forecast. Find more remote sensing information here.
Region Contact Information
Email: westafrica@fews.net