Climatology of lightning activities across the Equatorial African region

Abstract

In this study, it has been attempted to understand the role of various factors such as orography, moisture availability, aerosol nucleation, and atmospheric instability behind the spatio-temporal distribution of lightning properties over the Equatorial Central African region which experiences the most frequent lightning activity globally. Detailed statistical analysis using high-resolution satellite observations reveals very high lightning frequencies along the Virunga Mountain ranges during the summer season owing to its orographic advantage while the maximum flash radiances are observed over the relatively low-lying Congo River Basin during the month of June because of high moisture, instability, and aerosol availability in that region.