Interaction of Tropical Easterly Jets over North Africa

The objective of this study is to determine how easterly jets and associated convections interact over tropical North Africa during the Jul–Sep season, using reanalysis and satellite datasets for 1990–2024. Four indices are formed to describe mid- and upper-level zonal winds, and moist convection over the Sahel and India. Time-space regression identifies the large-scale features modulating the easterly jets. Cumulative departures are analyzed and ranked to form composites in east wind/convective phases and weak wind/subsident phases. The upper-level tropical easterly jet accelerates over the Arabian Sea during and after Pacific La Nina and the cool-west Indian Ocean dipole, and shows four year cycling aligned with thermocline oscillations. The mid-level Africa easterly jet strengthens during Atlantic Nino conditions that enhance the Sahel’s convection in the Jul–Sep season. Both jets accelerate when convection spreads west of India, whereas brief spells of decoupling suppress North African crop yields. The case of 15–20 August 2018 is analyzed, when a surge of Indian monsoon convection and tropical easterly jet penetrated the Sahel, leading to widespread uplift and rainfall.