Kablan et al. (2026) Characterizing Extreme Rainfall Types and Flood-Critical Periods in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: A Combined GPM DPR and Historical Rainfall Approach

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Identification

• Journal: Hydrometeorology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-11
• Authors: Armand Ketcha Malan Kablan, Narcisse Zegbé Gahi, Agossou Gadédjisso-Tossou, Kouassi Dongo
• DOI: 10.3390/hydrometeorology1010005

Research Groups

• West African Climate and Hydrology Laboratory (WACH)
• University of Abidjan Department of Meteorology
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Earth Science Division

Short Summary

This study identifies deep convective rainfall as the primary driver of flooding along the West African coast, with a peak in May and June contributing 60% of total monthly rainfall.

Objective

• Investigate the relationship between different types of rainfall (deep, stratiform, shallow convective) and extreme precipitation events in West Africa

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale, focusing on the West African coast
• Temporal Scale: Long-term analysis (1984–2025), with a focus on seasonal patterns (May-June)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR)
• Data sources: GPM DPR monthly rain-type retrievals, in situ daily rainfall observations from SODEXAM at Abidjan

Main Results

• Deep convective rainfall dominates the region's high seasonal totals, contributing 60% of total monthly rainfall on average.
• The flood-critical period is identified as between 29 May and 18 June, coinciding with the climatological peak in GPM-derived deep convective rainfall.

Contributions

• This study provides original insights into the role of different rainfall types in driving flooding along the West African coast, improving understanding of disaster response strategies.
• The findings highlight the importance of considering seasonal patterns and specific rainfall types when developing flood mitigation measures.

Funding

• NASA's Earth Science Division (Grant #NNX16AQ20G)
• West Africa Climate Change Program (WACCP) funded by the European Union

Citation

@article{Kablan2026Characterizing,
  author = {Kablan, Armand Ketcha Malan and Gahi, Narcisse Zegbé and Gadédjisso-Tossou, Agossou and Dongo, Kouassi},
  title = {Characterizing Extreme Rainfall Types and Flood-Critical Periods in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: A Combined GPM DPR and Historical Rainfall Approach},
  journal = {Hydrometeorology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/hydrometeorology1010005},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrometeorology1010005}
}