dry season

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dry season

meteorology

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June 25, 2026

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A dry season is a period of extended rainless weather that causes a significant water imbalance. This is a key characteristic of the tropical wet-dry climate, abbreviated as Aw in the Köppen classification system. In these climates, temperatures remain high year-round, but there is a noticeable difference between the wet and dry periods. Most precipitation occurs during the high-sun, or summer, season, while the dry season lengthens as one moves away from the equator. The dry season is caused by the shift in tropical circulation, where the subtropical anticyclone brings dry, stable air. Signs of drought include crop damage, reduced water levels, increased soil erosion, and a higher risk of wildfires.12

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drought
…have well-defined annual rainy and dry seasons. For successful agriculture, planting must be adjusted so that the crops develop during the rainy season.
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…have well-defined annual rainy and dry seasons. For successful agriculture, planting must be adjusted so that the crops develop during the rainy season.
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grassland
Environment
The dry season may last as long as eight months. An excess of rainfall over evaporation, leading to ephemeral river flow, occurs only during the wet season. The tropical grassland climate overlaps very broadly with that of savanna. As previously stated, these vegetation types differ little…
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The dry season may last as long as eight months. An excess of rainfall over evaporation, leading to ephemeral river flow, occurs only during the wet season. The tropical grassland climate overlaps very broadly with that of savanna. As previously stated, these vegetation types differ little…
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savanna
Environment
…on the length of the dry season. In wet savannas the dry season typically lasts 3 to 5 months, in dry savannas 5 to 7 months, and in thornbush savannas it is even longer. An alternative subdivision recognizes savanna woodland, with trees and shrubs forming a light canopy; tree savanna,…
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…on the length of the dry season. In wet savannas the dry season typically lasts 3 to 5 months, in dry savannas 5 to 7 months, and in thornbush savannas it is even longer. An alternative subdivision recognizes savanna woodland, with trees and shrubs forming a light canopy; tree savanna,…
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Somalia
Climate
Each is followed by a dry season—the main one (jilaal) from December to March and the second one (xagaa) from June to September. During the second dry season, showers fall in the coastal zone.
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Each is followed by a dry season—the main one (jilaal) from December to March and the second one (xagaa) from June to September. During the second dry season, showers fall in the coastal zone.
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