The water level in Mopti has risen by 112 cm within a week, from 290 cm on 2 August to 402 cm on 9 August. That is, on average, by 16 cm a day, which is relatively fast compared to other years. The fast increase of the water level last week, makes it more likely that the peak flood in 2021 will be above the long-term average, although probably not as high as last year and in 2018.
It is still early August, so we are only halfway the rainy season and still much can change depending on the rainfall in the Upper Niger River during the coming weeks. Fortunately, the rainfall forecast for the coming week is much rain in the Upper Niger Basin. The flood prediction is still unsure and may vary depending on the amount of rainfall the coming weeks. The flood level will this year not be low, but most likely also not be extremely high.
