Climate Resilience Dashboard
Why Monitor Rainfall Trends?
Tracking rainfall trends is essential for understanding climate resilience, as rainfall directly affects water availability, agriculture, and ecosystem health. Changes in precipitation patterns can signal shifts in climate conditions, influencing drought frequency, flood risks, and overall agricultural productivity.
Where does the data come from?
Rainfall and temperature estimates are derived from the global satellite missions Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), respectively. GPM started in 2000 and uses radar waves in combination with thousands of ground stations to estimate rainfall globally every 3 hours. MODIS (also started in 2000) uses thermal bands to estimate surface temperature globally every day. For this dashboard, theses estimates are aggregated by month for the Kenyan wards within the TWENDE project area.
The plot below illustrates rainfall trends per in the Chyulu areas per sub-county from the year 2000 onward. It highlights both positive (above-average = green) and negative (below-average = red) rainfall anomalies. Positive anomalies indicate wetter-than-normal conditions, which may enhance crop growth and water resources, while negative anomalies signal drier periods, often linked to drought stress and water shortages.
Climate anomalies refer to unusual changes in weather patterns compared to what is normally expected. By comparing current conditions to long-term averages (LTA), we can see if an area is experiencing drier, wetter, hotter, or cooler conditions than usual.
Precipitation and temperature vary considerably from year to year. This sections shows the yearly trends at different spatial zoom levels: landscape, county and sub-county level.
Have a look at the latest rainfall and temprature data across the wards in the TWENDE area. This page shows the variation spatially.
Download the latest monthly climate data including rainfall, temperature and many other climatic and bio-physical indicators.
What are anomalies?
Anomalies are deviations from the average or 'normal' climate conditions. They can be positive (above-average) or negative (below-average). We define 'normal' conditions as the average climate conditions over a long period of time: 25 years (2000-2025) in this case.
The plots below show how the rainfall and temperature fluctuated within a given year for the selected area. The bars indicate the climate conditions within the selected year while the lines indicate the long-term (25 year) average climate conditions for that same area.
Select a year:
This page shows the yearly rainfall and temperature trends at different spatial zoom levels: landscape, county and sub-county level. Select the zoom level you are interested in, and select a particularly landscape, county or sub-county to see the trends and variation within that area.
Rainfall estimates come from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM). This is a radar satellite that measures rainfall through radar waves and is calibrated based on numerous ground station acrross the globe. The red line indicates low (25th percentile), orange medium (50th percentile), and the green line indicates high (75th percentile) rainfall, relative to the overall rainfall in the Chyulu area.
Precipitation and temperature in Kenya vary widely across landscapes, counties, and sub-counties due to differences in topography, elevation, and ecosystem type. Areas like the highlands (e.g. central and western Kenya) typically receive more rainfall and have cooler temperatures, while lowland and arid regions (e.g. northern and eastern Kenya) are hotter and drier. These long-term average differences reflect the influence of mountains, proximity to water bodies, vegetation cover, and wind patterns. Showing these differences helps us understand local climate zones, guide agricultural planning, and target climate resilience efforts more effectively.
Rainfall estimates come from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) and temperature estimates from MODIS. The red line indicates low (25th percentile), orange medium (50th percentile), and the green line indicates high (75th percentile) rainfall, relative to the overall rainfall in the TWENDE area.
Lates climate information across the TWENDE Ward
Below you can find the rainfall and temperature information at the Kenyan wards for the last 3 months (in the tables) and for the last month (on the maps).
Latest Rainfall - {{latestDate}}
Latest Temperature - {{latestDate}}
View data below
Below you can view the average rainfall and temperature data for all TWENDE wards during the last three months. The 'normal' values (based on long-term averages) for a specific ward and month, are given between the brackets.
Download the full dataset
You can download the full dataset in CSV format by clicking the button below. These data includes the full time series (2015-present) and all indicators including climate variables but also vegetation, soil moisture and their derived indices.
The table below shows the rainfall from the last three months for each Kenyan ward. The data comes from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite mission. The rainfall is given in mm per month and the 'normal' (based on 25-year average) rainfall for that that month and ward is given between square brackets [].
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