Using rainfall data from five stations in The Gambia, it is shown that there has been a very marked decrease in annual rainfall over the last thirty years. This decrease is thought to be due to a reduction in the number of rain-producing synoptic situations rather than a decrease in intensity of rainfall.Using monthly data for the five stations and decadal and daily data for one station, it is demonstrated that the characteristics of the rainfall season have varied systematically over the years. Although the length of the season is virtually unaltered there is a marked reduction of rainfall in the middle of the season, so that there is a tendency towards bimodality, which could have serious consequences for rain-fed agriculture.

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