Trend of Extreme Precipitations Indices in West-central Côte d’Ivoire: Case of the Lobo Watershed

Abstract

The Lobo watershed located in the west-central part of Côte d'Ivoire is an area with high agricultural potential, influenced by climate variations and changes that reduce crop yields. The objective of this study is to analyse trends in ETCCDI extreme rainfall indices from rainfall data from 1984 to 2013 using ClimPACT2 software. This study shows that the trend of the indices: number of consecutive wet days (CWD), number of rainy days (R1mm) and the cumulative annual total rainfall (PRCPTOT) is decreasing. On the other hand, the number of consecutive dry days (CDD) is on the rise. In general, the whole basin has experienced a decrease in rainfall as well as wet sequences and an increase in dry sequences. These different trends observed in this study are more pronounced in the northern half of the watershed.