Drought and heatwaves in Benoni
Benoni has seen the hottest year in at least the last five years, and the year is not yet over.
Temperatures: Table One shows the number of days in each of the past five years (for the whole year) on which the temperature reached or surpassed the 32°C mark.
Notice the significant number of hot days this year so far, with one and a half summer months still to come.
Rainfall: Table Two shows the monthly and annual rainfall totals for Benoni since 1970.
The column showing annual totals indicates that 387mm was the lowest rainfall year in 1992, while the highest total was 1 241mm in 2000. The extreme right hand column shows yellow blocks for dry cycles of years when the total rainfall was less than normal.
Blue colours show periods of higher than normal rainfall.
Benoni is definitely heading into a dry cycle which will probably last for a few years.
The 2015 rainfall total is 360.8mm so far this year, with one and a half months still to go.
The 2015 total seems to be heading for a total somewhere between 400mm and 500mm – time will tell.
How long will the present heat and drought last?
According to the predictions of the South African Weather Services, the present drier period will probably last while the El Nino event persists, until at least February next year, and likely until April next year.
