Features of westerly waves propagating over southern Africa during summer

Abstract

Middle latitude westerly waves skirting the southern tip of Africa during summer were examined for consistent features. Composite, upper air rawind soundings for two independent cases were analysed. The thermodynamic and dynamic fields were consistent with classical westerly waves, but the analysis showed anomalous conditions that were associated with the extreme topographical features along the east coast. A low level jet, extending for several hundred kilometers along the coast and constrained by the topography, was examined. -Author