You are on page 1of 4

Climate and Weather: Climate of the Orange-Senqu River Basin:

The Regional Climate of Southern Africa

Southern Africa can be broadly divided into two Kppen-Geiger climatic groups:

Class B - Dry climates: The first group comprises the southwestern countries bordering the
Kalahari Desert: Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa, with climates
ranging from semi-arid and sub-humid in the east, to hyper-arid in the west

Class C - Moist mid-latitude climates with mild winters, comprising the eastern countries
Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and the Indian Ocean island countries,
with climatic conditions ranging from Dry to Moist Subtropical Mid-Latitude conditions

To see a map of the distribution of these climatic classes in the Orange-Senqu River basin, please
refer to Climatic Classification of the Basin.
Southern Africa is located between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, with high pressure zones
on the west and east, respectively. The region is prone to frequent droughts and uneven rainfall
distribution. The region has two distinct seasons a wet season roughly from November to April, and
a dry season roughly from May to October. The wet season occurs when the Inter-Tropical
Convergence Zone (ITCZ) moves south, bringing rainfall, and the dry season occurs when the
ITCZ retreats northward.
Oceans play an important role in the regions climate. The east coast is influenced by the southwardflowing Mozambique current, which brings warm water and humid air from the Equator and creates a
humid, warm climate. In contrast the west coast is influenced by the cold Benguela current from the
Atlantic Ocean, which produces a drier climate.
In the interior of southern Africa there is a strong rainfall gradient from east to west. In Swaziland and
Lesotho, both altitude and exposure to moist air from the Indian Ocean produce the heaviest and
most reliable rainfall. Total rainfall gradually decreases westward, and much of the central and
western regions are semi-desert with low and variable rainfall. the exception to this is the souther
and wetstern Cape regions of South Africa, which are influneced by maritime conditions and recieve
winter rainfall as part of a more temperate climate.
Over the whole of this interior region, rainfall mainly occurs in the summer season in the form of
thunderstorms. Large daily and seasonal temperature ranges are also observed as a result of
altitude and interioe continental location (i.e., the lack of ocean influences). Winters are usually dry
and sunny, while summers are wet and hot. Frost is a frequent occurrence in the winter, and snow is
common above 1 500 meters. This variability in weatherpatterns, possibly due to lcimate change,
sometimes results in droughts and floods, which adversely affect human activities.

Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) variation across Africa throughout the year.
Source:Ker et al. 1978
( click to enlarge )

Rainfall in southern Africa is strongly influenced by the ITCZ. The ITCZ changes position during the
year, moving between the Equator and the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Southern Africa
normally receives the bulk of its annual rainfall from November through March as the ITCZ moves
south. The further south the zone moves, the more promising the rainy season. The average
positions of ITCZ in July and January in the above figure illustrate this situation.
In a normal southern African rainy season, the ITCZ influence covers central Tanzania to southern
Zimbabwe and is associated with favourable rainfall. The Botswana High pressure system tends to
push the ITCZ away, often resulting in periods of drought.

Clima e Tempo: Clima da Bacia do Rio Limpopo:


O clima da frica Austral Regional
frica do Sul pode ser dividido em dois grupos climticas Kppen-Geiger:
Classe B - climas secos: O primeiro grupo compreende os pases do sudoeste que fazem fronteira
com o deserto de Kalahari: Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Nambia e frica do Sul, com climas que
vo desde semi-ridas e sub-hmidas secas no leste, a hiper-rido o Oeste
Classe C - climas hmidos de latitude mdia com invernos suaves, que compreende os pases de
Leste Tanznia, Malawi, Moambique, Suazilndia, Lesoto e os pases insulares do Oceano ndico,
com as condies climticas que variam de seco a hmido tropical condies de latitude mdia
Para ver um mapa da distribuio dessas classes climticas na bacia do rio Limpopo, por favor
consulte a Classificao Climtica da Bacia.

frica do Sul est localizado entre o Oceano Atlntico eo Oceano ndico, com zonas de alta presso
sobre o oeste e leste, respectivamente. A regio propensa a secas freqentes e distribuio de
chuvas irregular. A regio tem duas estaes distintas - uma estao chuvosa aproximadamente de
Novembro a Abril, e uma estao seca mais ou menos a partir de maio a outubro. A estao das
chuvas ocorre quando a Zona de Convergncia Inter-Tropical (ZCIT) desloca-se ao sul, trazendo
chuvas e a estao seca ocorre quando a ZCIT recua norte.
Oceanos desempenham um papel importante no clima da regio. A costa leste influenciada pela
corrente Moambique sul-fluindo, o que leva gua quente e ar hmido do Equador e cria um clima
mido e quente. Em contraste, a costa oeste influenciada pela corrente fria de Benguela do
Oceano Atlntico, que produz um clima mais seco.
No interior da frica Austral existe um gradiente de chuva forte de leste a oeste. Na Suazilndia e
Lesoto, tanto altitude e exposio ao ar mido do Oceano ndico produzem a maior precipitao e
mais confivel. total de precipitao diminui gradualmente para o oeste, e grande parte das regies
centrais e ocidentais so semi-deserto com baixa e varivel precipitao. A exceo a isso o
souther e regies Cabo wetstern da frica do Sul, que so influneced pelas condies martimas e
chuvas de inverno recieve como parte de um clima mais temperado.
Sobre a totalidade desta regio interior, a precipitao ocorre principalmente na temporada de vero
na forma de tempestades. Grandes intervalos dirios e sazonais de temperatura tambm so
observados como resultado de altitude e localizao interioe "continental" (isto , a ausncia de
influncias do oceano). Os invernos so geralmente seco e ensolarado, enquanto os veres so
molhado e quente. Frost uma ocorrncia freqente no inverno, ea neve comum acima de 1 500
metros. Esta variabilidade na weatherpatterns, possivelmente devido a lcimate mudana, s vezes
resulta em secas e inundaes, que afectam negativamente as atividades humanas.

variao inter-tropical Zona de Convergncia (ZCIT) em toda a frica ao longo do ano.


Fonte: Ker et ai. 1978
( Clique para ampliar )
A precipitao na frica Austral fortemente influenciado pela ZCIT. A ZCIT muda de posio
durante o ano, movendo-se entre o Equador e os Trpicos de Cncer e Capricrnio. frica Austral
normalmente recebe a maior parte da precipitao anual a partir de novembro a maro como a ZCIT
se move para o sul. Os mais ao sul da zona de movimentos, mais promissora a estao chuvosa.
As posies mdias de ZCIT em julho e janeiro na figura acima ilustram esta situao.

Em uma estao chuvosa sul Africano normal, a influncia ZCIT cobre Tanznia central para o sul
do Zimbabwe e est associada com chuvas favorvel. O sistema de presso "Botswana High" tende
a empurrar a ZCIT de distncia, muitas vezes resultando em perodos de seca.

You might also like