KAMPALA – The Meteorological Services at the Ministry of Water and Environment have warned that western Uganda will likely receive only a few light rains in early to mid-June, after which the dry season will take over until August, making the region drier than normal.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The development was confirmed in the department’s weather forecast bulletin for June, July and August 2026 (JJA), which clearly indicated that most parts of the country will get less rain than usual, and temperatures will be warmer than normal.
According to the forecast published this week, the JJA season, typically a dry period over western, central, and parts of eastern Uganda, will this year bring drier conditions than usual across many regions.
Western parts of the country, including the Southwestern Highlands (Kabale, Kisoro, Rukungiri) and lowlands (Mbarara, Isingiro), as well as the Rwenzori sub-region, are expected to receive light isolated rains only in early to mid-June, followed by a prolonged dry spell.
Central Uganda and the Lake Victoria basin, including Kampala, will have dry conditions with occasional showers until mid-June, then mostly dry weather with near normal or slightly below normal rainfall.
Eastern Uganda, including Jinja, Mbale, and Soroti, will see isolated showers until mid-June, followed by on-and-off rains, bringing near normal to below normal rainfall overall.
Northern Uganda will have some rains until mid-June in the northeast, while the northwest and central north will receive near normal to below normal rainfall throughout the season.
On the positive side, farmers may benefit from reduced post-harvest losses for crops like coffee, millet, and maize, alongside opportunities for garden clearing and bumper harvests of low-moisture crops such as spinach and fresh beans.
However, negative impacts include reduced crop yields, coffee flower abortion, pest outbreaks (coffee wilt, borers), and rising prices for annual crops like simsim and soybeans.
Fisheries will face lower water levels, less oxygen in ponds, disrupted breeding grounds, and scarce natural fish food, while livestock farmers may struggle with heat stress, reduced milk, lack of pasture, and more pests like the African armyworm.
Beekeepers may enjoy high-quality honey, but they will also likely face higher bee deaths and smaller harvests due to the dry and hot conditions.
The Ministry of Water and Environment further advises crop farmers to plant drought-tolerant and fast-maturing crops, use irrigation and mulching, store harvests properly, and practice home gardening.
Fisheries are recommended to increase water supply to ponds, harvest rainwater, stock wisely, and always use life jackets while avoiding night travel on lakes.
The Ministry advised that livestock farmers must strengthen vaccination, store feed properly, spray against ticks, provide good housing with ventilation, and reduce stocking rates.
Meanwhile, different sectors have been advised to monitor water levels, harvest and conserve water, promote solar energy, stock essential medicines, use insecticide-treated nets, and avoid bush burning.
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