What are tropical waves?
Q: What are tropical waves?
A: Tropical waves are a type of atmospheric trough that moves from east to west and creates cloudiness and thunderstorms.
Q: What are they also known as in the Atlantic Ocean?
A: They are also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic Ocean.
Q: What can also form from the tail end of frontal zones in the subtropics and tropics?
A: West-moving waves can also form from the tail end of frontal zones in the subtropics and tropics.
Q: Are these waves properly called tropical waves?
A: They are not properly called tropical waves; they are a form of inverted trough sharing many characteristics with fully tropical waves.
Q: Where do tropical waves form?
A: They form in the easterly flow along the southern side of the subtropical ridge or belt of high pressure which is north and south of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
Q: How are tropical waves normally carried?
A: They are normally carried westward by the prevailing easterly winds along the tropics and subtropics near the equator.
Q: What can tropical waves lead to in the north Atlantic and northeast Pacific Oceans?
A: They can lead to the formation of tropical cyclones in the north Atlantic and northeast Pacific Oceans.
