Thunderstorm Frequency over Nigeria

Abstract

The research attempted a comparative analysis of thunderstorm frequencies over Nigeria using some geographical parameters. Secondary data on thunderstorm frequencies and locational characteristics of 20meteorological stations in Nigeria were obtained from the headquarters of the Meteorological Services Department Oshodi, Lagos for a period of 30years (1970-1999). All geographical co-ordinates were first converted to degree before analysis. Multiple correlation and regression analysis was employed to test the relationship between thunderstorm frequencies and locational characteristics of altitude, latitude and longitude for the whole country. The same technique was used to test for regional effect on a north-south basis. Finally, stepwise regression model was used to assess individual contribution of the independent variables. The results show that locational characteristics have a joint positive relationship with thunderstorm, significant at 1% confidence level. The coefficient of determination (r²) shows that 51% of variation in thunderstorm frequencies over the country is attributed to locational characteristics. The result of the stepwise regression analysis selected two variables significant at 10% confidence level, these are latitude and longitude. Together they accounted for 47% variation in thunderstorm frequency in Nigeria. The research concludes that latitude exhibit the greatest influence on thunderstorm frequency in Nigeria.