Question

What are the 4 o’clock showers? In which climatic region of Africa do they occur?

Answer 1

This type of climate is found in the lowlands on either side of the equator in the Congo Basin, the coastal region around the Gulf of Guinea and coastal Kenya. The climate is characterized by a high temperature of 27°C throughout the year and heavy annual rainfall of200-250 cm. Thus, there is high humidity all through the year and there are no clearly marked seasons. There is a daily occurrence of convectional rainfall. This type of rainfall is the result of an intense heating of the land surface. During the day, there is a lot of evaporation. By afternoon, when it starts cooling, the water vapour condenses and falls as rain. Since it pours around 4 o’clock every day, it is known as ‘4 o’clock showers’.