Environmental Factors Influencing Propagation of West African Squall Lines

Using observations of rain rate gathered during the 2002 West African monsoon at a network of surface stations in central Benin, estimates of the speed and direction of propagation are computed for squall lines. The algorithms used have been tested extensively using Monte Carlo techniques, as will be shown in the presentation. These estimates of the motions of the squall lines are then coupled with radiosonde observationsfrom Parakou, Benin to determine the environmental factors that influence the propagation of the squall lines.