Rainfall in Qatar : is it changing?

In this paper, we investigate the spatial and temporal distributions of rainfall in Qatar, which falls in the arid region of the middle-east. We use rainfall data from 29 rain gauges covering the period of 1962–2010. Fifteen different rainfall indices are used in the assessment. A combination of Mann–Kendall and Spearman’s Rho tests is adopted to identify trends in the rainfall data. The average annual rainfall values are found to be in the range of 55.5–99 mm. A sharp gradient in average annual rainfall is noticed, with north having much higher values than the south. A mixed trend, both increasing (upward) and decreasing (downward) for most of the rainfall indices, is identified. Annual total and maximum daily rainfalls show mixed trends, while rainy days show an increasing trend. For the rainy seasons, the total rainfall during the months of December–January–February shows an increasing trend and March–April rainfall shows a decreasing trend, reflecting that seasonal rainfall in Qatar is changing. The findings of this study provide important insights into the nature of rainfall variability in Qatar, which will be useful in water resources planning tasks in Qatar and nearby countries.