Drought Watch Goes Green
Syria recorded no drought across its territory in April 2026, according to the latest monthly assessment of the Syrian Drought Watch project run by the General Commission for Remote Sensing in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The reading is a sharp turnaround from April 2025, when the same monitoring framework classified Hasaka, parts of Aleppo, Raqqa, and Hama as zones of severe to extreme drought.
Vegetation Index Climbs
The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the satellite-derived measure of plant cover used by the project, rose across all Syrian governorates during April. Hasaka, Raqqa, Aleppo, and the Syrian Steppe each posted increases of more than 20% above the 20-year average.
The improvement points to stronger winter cereal yields, easing the pressure on the grain import bill that has weighed on the Syrian pound (SYP) in years of poor rainfall.
Wettest May in Three Decades
Rainfall events in early May 2026 reinforced the picture. Al-Qadmus station registered 115 millimetres, Jabal al-Sheikh Badr 109 millimetres, and Hama Wasil 102 millimetres, while Safita, Fundaria, and al-Duraykish each recorded close to 97 millimetres.
Cumulative seasonal precipitation at Al-Qadmus reached 1,720 millimetres, equivalent to 138% of the long-run average, placing this May among the wettest comparable months alongside 1992, 2004, 2018, and 2020.
What it Means for the Economy
A wet spring after years of drought eases Syria's grain and animal-feed import bill, supports rural employment, and improves the outlook for the upcoming harvest season in the cereals belt of the northeast.
The Drought Watch project plans monthly assessments going forward, allowing planners and traders to track whether the recovery extends through the summer growing season or fades with the next dry cycle.