File:An Early Start to the Long Rains in Tanzania (MODIS 2021-03-03).jpg

English: In many of the countries of Africa’s Rift Valley, the rhythm of life beats to the drips and drops of rain. This is certainly true in Tanzania, which sits at the center of this true-color image acquired on March 2, 2021, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite. The image capture a wide palette of gorgeous greens that surround Lake Victoria (north) and the long Lake Tanganyika. Besides Tanzania, the image captures Rwanda and Burundi (occupying land between the two large lakes, and part of the Democratic Republic of Congo which sits west of Tanganyika.

Sitting just south of the equator, Tanzania enjoys predictably warm and humid temperatures year-round. Rather than having four temperature-based seasons (summer, winter, spring, fall), the seasons are counted in basically two forms: wet or dry. The country—and much of the region—experiences two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. The main rainy season, the “long rains”, typically begin in March and run through May. The longs rains bring afternoon downpours and high temperatures. In June, the long rains stop and the “long dry season” comes. This is when the skies clear and the lands becomes dry. By late September or October, vegetation has browned and wild animals congregate wherever water can be found. New rains—the “short rains”— begin in late October or November and this, in turn, is followed by a short dry spell in January and February. It is a pattern that drives life in the region, including agriculture and movement and reproduction of animals, such as the famous massive migrations of Wildebeest.

In Tanzania, the 2020 dry season was predictably long and hot. When it gave way to the short rains, the lands greened beautifully. But when the rains continued through the short dry season (January and February) it brought floods to Tanzania and surrounding countries. According to Relief Web, heavy rain has been affecting parts of Tanzania since February 24, causing rivers and lakes to overflow and triggering floods that have resulted in evacuations and damage. Hardest hit are areas east of Lake Victoria and bordering Lake Tanganyika. As of March 1, about 600 people have been displaced by the most recent floods.

The NASA Worldview app allows comparison of MODIS images collected at a given spot on Earth on different days. A comparison of this image and one captured during the middle of the dry season—August 2, 2020—dramatically illustrates the effect of rain (or lack of it) on the Earth. The comparison can be found here.