The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has forecast higher rainfall levels over the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) in July through to September, amid a drought that has caused serious problems for food security.

A consensus statement by the WMO's Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum, said there were 'enhanced probabilities' of above to near normal rainfall for Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda, Rwanda, northern Burundi, northwestern Tanzania, western Kenya, northwestern Somalia, several parts of Ethiopia and northeastern Sudan.

The release also forecast above normal rainfall for central Sudan and western Ethiopia.

"July to September constitutes a major rainfall season over much of the northern sector as well as the western parts of the equatorial sector of the GHA," the consensus statement said.

The release said other regions, including drought-hit parts of the eastern sector, were likely to remain seasonally dry.

The severe drought that has hit the GHA's eastern region since the last quarter of 2010 has been associated with La Niña conditions.

"The La Niña episode, which started in July 2010, has now ended and been replaced by near-neutral conditions, with the ocean temperatures, tropical rainfall patterns, and atmospheric winds over the equatorial Pacific Ocean being near the long-term average," the WMO said in a release.

"It is too early to assess what impact this will have on the October-December rainfall in drought-hit areas."

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