March 3, 2021 - An Early Start to the Long Rains in Tanzania

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   African Greening
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   In many of the countries of Africa’s Rift Valley, the rhythm of life
   beats to the drips and drops of rain. This is certainly true in
   Tanzania, which sits at the center of this true-color image acquired on
   March 2, 2021, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite. The image capture a wide palette
   of gorgeous greens that surround Lake Victoria (north) and the long
   Lake Tanganyika. Besides Tanzania, the image captures Rwanda and
   Burundi (occupying land between the two large lakes, and part of the
   Democratic Republic of Congo which sits west of Tanganyika.

   Sitting just south of the equator, Tanzania enjoys predictably warm and
   humid temperatures year-round. Rather than having four
   temperature-based seasons (summer, winter, spring, fall), the seasons
   are counted in basically two forms: wet or dry. The country—and much of
   the region—experiences two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year.
   The main rainy season, the “long rains”, typically begin in March and
   run through May. The longs rains bring afternoon downpours and high
   temperatures. In June, the long rains stop and the “long dry season”
   comes. This is when the skies clear and the lands becomes dry. By late
   September or October, vegetation has browned and wild animals
   congregate wherever water can be found. New rains—the “short rains”—
   begin in late October or November and this, in turn, is followed by a
   short dry spell in January and February. It is a pattern that drives
   life in the region, including agriculture and movement and reproduction
   of animals, such as the famous massive migrations of Wildebeest.

   In Tanzania, the 2020 dry season was predictably long and hot. When it
   gave way to the short rains, the lands greened beautifully. But when
   the rains continued through the short dry season (January and February)
   it brought floods to Tanzania and surrounding countries. According to
   Relief Web, heavy rain has been affecting parts of Tanzania since
   February 24, causing rivers and lakes to overflow and triggering floods
   that have resulted in evacuations and damage. Hardest hit are areas
   east of Lake Victoria and bordering Lake Tanganyika. As of March 1,
   about 600 people have been displaced by the most recent floods.

   The NASA Worldview app allows comparison of MODIS images collected at a
   given spot on Earth on different days. A comparison of this image and
   one captured during the middle of the dry season—August 2,
   2020—dramatically illustrates the effect of rain (or lack of it) on the
   Earth. The comparison can be found  here.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 3/2/2020
   Resolutions:  1km (266.2 KB),  500m (687.3 KB),  250m (1.8 MB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-03-03
 
