By The African Meridian Newsroom | 2 July 2026
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Rainfall since the start of the season has come in below average across western Sierra Leone, western Guinea and Liberia, producing negative Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) readings and abnormal dryness across the three West African countries, according to regional seasonal monitoring. The SPI is a widely used measure of how far actual rainfall has strayed from the long-term average for a given place and period; sustained negative readings signal a moisture shortfall serious enough to affect soil conditions and early-season crop establishment.
The dry conditions come at a sensitive point in the agricultural calendar for a sub-region where a large share of the population depends on rain-fed farming of staples such as rice and cassava. A slow or weak start to the rains can delay planting, reduce germination rates, and leave crops more vulnerable to any subsequent dry spell later in the season.
The dryness in this corner of West Africa stands in sharp contrast to conditions just to the east and south, where forecasters are instead warning of above-average rainfall and flooding risk along the Gulf of Guinea coast — underscoring how sharply rainfall outcomes can vary within a relatively small geographic area during the same West African monsoon season.
Agricultural and food-security monitors in the three countries say they will be watching the next several weeks of rainfall closely, since the region’s main growing season leaves comparatively little room to recover from a delayed or diminished start.