Analysis of the Observed Trends in Rainfall and Temperature Patterns in North-Eastern Nigeria

The present study offers a comprehensive evaluation of the monthly rainfall and temperature patterns across nine stations and fifty-nine points in North-Eastern Nigeria using NASA’s Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources data, spanning four decades (1981–2021). By employing the Mann–Kendall (MK) test and inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation, the researchers effectively detected and visualized trends in climate variables. The MK test results indicate contrasting rainfall trends, with notable decreases in Akko, Billiri, Maiduguri, Numan, and Yola, and increases in Gombe, Abadam, Biu, and Mubi. The trends in the maximum temperature were found to be statistically significant across all stations, showing a consistent increase, whereas the minimum temperature trends exhibited a slight but insignificant decrease. The application of the Theil–Sen slope estimator quantified these trends, providing nuanced insights into the magnitudes of changes in climate variables. The IDW results further corroborate the general trend of decreasing rainfall (z = −0.442), modest increases in the maximum temperature (z = 0.046), and a marginal decline in the minimum temperature (z = −0.005). This study makes an important contribution by advocating for the proactive dissemination of climate information. Given the evident climate shifts, particularly the increasing temperatures and fluctuating rainfall patterns, timely access to such information is crucial to enhancing climate resilience in the region. The rigorous statistical methods applied and the detailed spatial analysis strengthen the validity of these findings, making this study a valuable resource for both researchers and policymakers aiming to address climate variability in North-Eastern Nigeria. These research results may also be useful for understanding the climate variabilities in different parts of the world.