After a record harvest in October 2007, Ethiopia settled into a drought. Little rain fell during the October and November rainy season, and rainfall was predicted to be below normal in the March-to-May rainy season as well, said the Famine Early Warning System Network.
In 2005, much of eastern Africa suffered severe drought. Crops and natural vegetation, including grazing land for livestock, withered. Livestock deaths and human food shortages were widespread.
For East Africa, 2005 was anything but a normal year. The long rainy season produced little rain, and the short rainy season failed altogether. The drought’s impact on vegetation can be seen in this vegetation index image.