Ethiopia drought 2015

The 2015 drought in north and central Ethiopia was an extremely rare event, estimated to occur once every few hundred years in the current climate. Analysis by World Weather Attribution indicates that a strong El Niño enhanced the drought, making it significantly drier during the Kiremt season. However, the study found no conclusive evidence that human-induced climate change influenced the event, as results from various climate models were inconsistent and spanned a range from the drought being less likely to more likely. Despite the severity of the event, which affected nearly 10 million people and caused significant crop and livestock losses, the impact was lower than droughts in 1973 and 1984, suggesting improved national resilience.

• The 2015 drought in central to northeastern Ethiopia was an exceptionally rare event with a best-estimate return period of 260 years in the current climate, though estimates range from 60 to several hundred years.
• A strong El Niño significantly intensified the drought; without its influence, the event would have been wetter, with a return period of approximately 80 years instead of 260 years.
• There is no conclusive evidence that human-induced climate change played a role in the 2015 drought, as different climate models produced conflicting results regarding the likelihood of such an event.
• The drought caused severe livelihood and food security crises, affecting nearly 10 million people, with some areas reporting over 75 percent crop loss, one million livestock deaths, and hundreds of thousands of people experiencing severe acute malnutrition.

APA

World Weather Attribution (2015). Ethiopia drought 2015. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ethiopia-drought-2015/

Chicago

World Weather Attribution. Ethiopia drought 2015. 2015. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ethiopia-drought-2015/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Weather Attribution |title=Ethiopia drought 2015 |date=24 July 2015 |url=https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ethiopia-drought-2015/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldweatherattribution2015ethiopia, author = {{World Weather Attribution}}, title = {{Ethiopia drought 2015}}, institution = {World Weather Attribution}, year = {2015}, month = jul, url = {https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ethiopia-drought-2015/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }