One of the most intense African easterly waves (AEWs) during the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) field phase occurred in mid-September 2006. The wave in question underwent a typical AEW lifecycle: it was initiated by convection in the vicinity of the Darfur mountains (~25E) and was associated with new and intense convection coupled to the wave as it developed downstream. The intense convection was associated with high impact rainfall locally, and it also acted to intensify the AEW itself. Downstream of West Africa this AEW was later linked to the triggering of a tropical depression that eventually became Hurricane Isaac.

In the first part of this work we will explore the synoptic conditions that led to the intense convection over West Africa. In the second part of this work we will explore the impact of all available observations, including the special AMMA rawinsonde observations, on our ability to analyse and predict the AEW and associated intense convection over West Africa.