African easterly jet

The African easterly jet, is a region of the lower troposphere over West Africa where the seasonal mean wind speed is maximum and easterly. Forming due to the temperature contrast between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea, maximum wind speeds are located at a height of 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the north of the monsoon trough. The jet marches northward from its southern location in January, reaching its most northerly latitude in August, and its strongest winds in September while shifting back towards the equator. Within the easterly jet, tropical waves form. Convective complexes associated with these waves can form tropical cyclones. If the feature is suppressed south of its normal location during August and September, tropical cyclogenesis is suppressed. If desertification continues across Sub-Saharan Africa, the strength of this feature would increase, though tropical wave generation is expected to decrease which could decrease the number of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin.