On the generation of African squall lines

Abstract

The novelty of our study lies in the temporal resolution of the satellite imagery, which with 21 images per day allows the identification of a large number of short-lived SLs (4-h duration or less). On the southern fringes of the Sahara these are likely to contribute significantly to rainfall totals, and so cannot be neglected. Our results show, for the period an area of study, a preference for SLs to generate during the midafternoon, with generation probability also enhanced by above-average low-level westerly flow and by surface features such as the Air Mountains, the Jos Plateau, and the northernmost section of the river Niger. African waves and the strength of the African easterly jet were not found to affect SL generation for the period and region studied. -from Authors