Climatologists are warning that rainfall figures could be affected going into 2019 as the current El Niño phenomenon is expected to reach maturity sometime in January.
A meteorologist at the agricultural division of Santam, Johan van den Berg, indicated that rainfall at the moment was already not where it should be despite solid downpours in several provinces like Mpumalanga, parts of the Free State, eastern North West, and Gauteng.
Large sections of the country were still starved of rain, he said.
Drought conditions in November have also contributed to dam levels dipping while grazing conditions remain distressed in several regions, particularly in areas like the Northern Cape where recovery from parched conditions hasn’t been possible due to persistent drought.
Most of the provinces in the summer rain region had been battling drought for at least three years, Van den Berg said.
He added that some regions had not seen proper rain for at least seven years.
Although El Niño did not necessarily live up to predictions of doom and dread, it had a 70% chance of contributing to drought conditions if it took effect, Van der Berg warned.
