An integrated satellite precipitation estimation
dataset, namely, the Climate Prediction Center morphing method (CMORPH), was
used to analyze precipitation regimes across Equatorial Africa between 3°S - 1°N and 24°E - 42°E from 2000 to 2014. This region includes the
Rift Valley, part of the Congo Forest, and the Lake Victoria (LV) basin, the
second largest lake in the area of the world. Hovmöller diagrams were obtained
for all organized convective systems to estimate their spans, duration, and
phase speeds. The analysis included 33,189 episodes of westward propagating
convective systems. Within the study area, lake and land breezes tend to
trigger convection and precipitation over LV as well as mountain-valley
circulation trigger thunderstorms over the mountains east of LV and western
Rift Valley. The statistics of convective systems streaks on longitude-time
diagrams were obtained for yearly frequencies of starting and ending longitudes
and times among other morphologic variables. Results indicate organized
precipitation episodes tend
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