Abstract
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This study analyzed changes in African long-term (1901–2015) Potential Evapo-Transpiration (PET), precipitation, minimum (Tmin) and maximum (Tmax) temperature. Correlation among precipitation, PET, Tmin and Tmax was assessed. Warming and drying trends were dominant across the continent. The 1979–2015 warming was stronger than that from to 1940. Some cooling occurred from 1941 to the mid–1970s. Annual Tmax, Tmin, and PET on average increased across the continent at rates of 0.18 °C, 0.22°C, and 1.04 mm per decade, respectively. Annual precipitation over the periods 1960–1990 (1901–2015) showed that the continent experienced drying at average rate of about -28(-14) mm per decade. However, areas around the Lake Victoria in East Africa and along the western coastline south of the Equator experienced wetting at rates up to 36 mm per decade. Significant ( p 0.01). Because sensitivity of Tmin to local influences is higher than that of Tmax, areas with strong negative correlation were larger for Tmax than those of Tmin. These results call for planned measures to tackle food insecurity in the sub-Saharan Africa.