The return of El Niño in 2023 brought record-breaking global temperatures, an increase in the number of forest fires, flooding, heatwaves, and intense and severe droughts. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the impact of El Niño on rainfall patterns during the planting season and the potential consequences for agricultural productivity in West Africa. We perform a spatio-temporal analysis of rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture, and droughts for the year 2023 and compare them with the previous year and climatology. We uncover El Niño footprints characterized by early rains in March, high temperature, humidity, and low rainfall in the middle of the planting season (April to May) compared to 2022. Farmers in West Africa usually expect rainfall in early April to start the agricultural season. This shift in rainfall patterns can have a serious impact on agricultural activities and increase vulnerability to severe famine in the region.