6533b82ffe1ef96bd12964ad

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Intraseasonal variations of June?September rainfall and upper-air circulation over Kenya

subject

description

In the Northern Summer, Kenya is located under the influence of the divergent Indian monsoon flow, and therefore is dry except for two separate areas: the coastal strip and the western regions. Analysis of daily rainfall data for June–September 1982 to 1988 has revealed that, although there are many distinct rainfall events between the two regions, an out-of-phase relationship is also evident, rain on the Coast being frequently accompanied by a drop in the precipitation over the Rift Valley area. It is shown that two types of wind forcing accompany these patterns. Alternating westerly and easterly anomalies at the 700 hPa level are associated with persistent wet and dry conditions (respectively) in western Kenya, and the opposite along the Coast. Large speed increases of the cross-equatorial low-level jet over Mombasa are followed by short rain spells in this latter region. These observations are thought to reflect the importance of an influx of moist unstable air from the west, linked to the West African monsoon, to ensure heavy rainfall over the Highlands. Variations in the low-level jet speed, which cannot be easily followed downstream, also have a significant, but less persistent impact on rainfall in the two regions.