Afghanistan sub-catchment scale drought index dataset: Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), 1980-2017

The dataset shows the results of SPEI at monthly (SPEI-1), seasonal (SPEI-3) and annual (SPEI-12) temporal scales for mapping the spatiotemporal change dynamics of drought characteristics (distribution, frequency, severity and duration) in Afghanistan. SPEI indices were mapped for river basins, disaggregated into 189 sub-catchments, using monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration derived from temperature station observations from 1980 to 2017 (water year - Oct to Sep).