Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Rainfall Variations over Kenya

Abstract

This paper presents analysis of spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall variability over Kenya between 1971 and 2010. Rainfall data was obtained from 26 stations in Kenya, out of total 34 synoptic stations which were analyzed at monthly, seasonal and annual scales. Monthly Climate Research Unit (CRU) and Global Precipitation Climate Centre (GPCC) data sets were used. Results showed that CRU data performs better than GPCC when subjected to evaluation and comparison with station data. The findings showed that the highest and lowest annual rainfall was recorded in 1997 (1309.1.2mm) and 2000 (609.4mm) respectively. Maximum mean annual rainfall (2087.0mm) was observed on Kisii station, while the least mean annual rainfall (203mm) was reported at Lodwar station. The highest recorded total rainfall within the analysis domain occurred at Kisii location (3673.6mm), while the least was recorded at Lodwar location (54.2mm). Further results reveal that among the seasons, a noticeable decrease in March, April and May (MAM: 95.5.0mm) and slight increase in October to December (OND: 65.3mm). Overall the findings demonstrated that there is significant decrease in rainfall over Kenya and this is in line with recent trends of global warming as reported by last intergovernmental panel on climate change report (IPCC report). The significance of these findings is that it could support various policy makers and development partners in the field of climate science working in Kenya both on local to large scale related industries.

Keywords: Spatial-temporal variability, Climatology, Kenya.