Crops · dekad 2026-09-01

South Sudan

1 of 10 crop regions in South Sudan are at their worst on record for this point in the season. Its highest in any previous year was 1, on a recent average of 0.17.

Vegetation, cumulativethe harvest measure1of 10
Vegetation, current6of 10
Water satisfaction2of 10
Rainfall, 3-month8of 10
Temperature10of 10

What moved, and when

Each square is one dekad, and its shade shows how many of this country’s crop regions stood at their own worst on record for that point in the season. Rows are ordered by how much time each instrument summarises, shortest first, because a shorter window can move sooner. That order is fixed and is the same on every country page.

Vegetation, currentthis dekad
Soil moisturethis dekadalready elevated when this window opens, so nothing here shows when it began
Temperaturethis dekad
Rainfall, 3-monththe past 3 monthsalready elevated when this window opens, so nothing here shows when it began
Vegetation, cumulativethe season so far, from sowing
Water satisfactionthe season so far, as a water balance
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep
none at a recordone regionfewer than a thirda third to three quartersmost or alltoo few regions reporting to saynot reported
What connects these rows

The driver is water. This section says what moved and when. It never says because.

These 25 dekads were picked rather than derived. A shorter window changes which peak looks like the first, and a sequence visible inside a window may not exist outside it.

How bad is it, against this country’s own record

Five instruments read together our combination, not an observation

worst on record of 26 years at this point in the season

The most stressed of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026, across 5 instruments read together

202620012026

What the instruments say

The canopy is in its worst third, as are water satisfaction and rainfall.

Each track is that instrument’s own 26 years, worst on the left.

Vegetation, cumulative-0.365th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-1.09lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction85%2nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-1.71lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature31.4 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

Five instruments, each against its own 26 years for this point in the season. They are shown together because they can disagree: a region can sit at a record low on vegetation while water or rainfall sits in its best third. 66 of the 440 regions at a record low on current vegetation have water or rainfall sitting in its own best third at the same moment, about one in seven. This page reports where each one sits and does not say what caused what.

Every region of South Sudan, worst to least

Each bar is the full spread of that region’s previous 25 years at this point in the season. The dot is this year. A dot at the left of a wide bar and a dot at the left of a narrow bar are different findings, which is why the history is drawn rather than described.

its normalworsebetterLakesUpper NileJongleiUnityWest Bahr GhazalC. EquatoriaEast EquatoriaWarrapNorth Bahr GhazaW.Equatoria

Regions in colour are at their worst on record. The rest are placed on the same scale so a single deep region inside an otherwise ordinary country reads differently from a country where the whole distribution has moved.

Lakes

-1.28 lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative-1.28lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-2.63lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction83%lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.77lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature30.4 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

Upper Nile

-0.99 3rd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

Vegetation here usually tracks water availability.

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative-0.993rd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-1.10lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction96%3rd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-0.985th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature33.6 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

Jonglei

-0.72 4th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative-0.724th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-1.08lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction78%2nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.96lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature31.0 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

Unity

-0.62 5th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative-0.625th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-0.92lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction94%2nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.59lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature32.6 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

West Bahr Ghazal

-0.14 13th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative-0.1413th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-0.542nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction95%2nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.22lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature30.2 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

C. Equatoria

-0.02 13th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative-0.0213th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current+0.1217th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction85%3rd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.52lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature26.1 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

East Equatoria

-0.02 15th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

Vegetation here usually tracks water availability.

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative-0.0215th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-1.402nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction59%2nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.17lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature28.5 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

Warrap

+0.53 22nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative+0.5322nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-0.79lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction91%4th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.302nd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature32.1 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

North Bahr Ghaza

+0.54 20th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative+0.5420th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-1.04lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction91%lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.56lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature31.9 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

W.Equatoria

+1.10 25th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

20012026
Vegetation, cumulative+1.1025th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Vegetation, current-0.693rd lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Water satisfaction99%15th lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Rainfall, 3-month-2.56lowest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026
Soil moisturenot reportedSoil moisture has not reported for this dekad. Its newest observation is 1 dekad behind the crop-outcome instrument.
Temperature26.6 °Chighest of 26 observations for this point in the season, 2001-2026

same dekad, 2001-2025

This measurement is of the crop canopy and not of what stressed it: heat, drought, disease and late planting are not separable here, which is why no claim on this page names a cause.

Kristjan Lepik (2026). The Long Swell, Crops. thelongswell.com