## 3 Results and Discussion
### Mapping of Seasonal Rain Height over South Africa  
The seasonal mean rain height maps for South Africa were developed using the estimated rain height results above. Figures 8-11 show distinct geographic variations in rain height for each season, corresponding to the diverse climate zones across the country. The four seasonal maps reveal a gradual decline in rain height from the northernmost to the southernmost station. This agrees with the work of [PERSON] et al. [37], which reported latitudinal variation of rain height in Nigeria. During the summer season, higher rain heights are observed in the northeast, particularly around Polokwane, Pretoria, and Nelspruit, which are driven by the summer convective rainfall [37]. On the contrary, lower rain heights are seen along the coastal areas (Port Elizabeth and Cape Town), reflecting their drier summer conditions.  
Upington, the capital city of Northern Cape, has a moderate average rain height equivalent to between 4951 m and 5111 m; this is expected given that the climate of the area is semi-arid and desert-like and receives low amounts of summer rainfall. For the central region, Bloemfontein's rain heights range between 4951 m and 5031 m, indicating a semi-arid climate with summer lighting impacts.  
The distribution of rain height during the autumn season conforms to the summer profile but shows slightly lower values in the northeastern part (as shown in Figures 8 and 9). The northeastern area is affected by occasional heavy showers because of the remaining atmospheric moisture and occasional storms in the autumn season. Nelspruit has the highest rain height of about 5097 m. The southern coastal region values are consistently lower. Cape Town recorded the minimum rain height of 4290 m, whereas a minimum rain height of 4630 m was observed in the previous season. The rain height in Port Elizabeth dropped from 4550 m in summer to about 4470 m in autumn.  
Figure 7: Probability density functions of rain heights during spring for (**a**) Polokwane, (**b**) Nelpruit, (**c**) Pretoria, (**d**) Mahikeng, (**e**) Upington, (**f**) Bloemfontein, (**g**) Durban, (**h**) Port Elizabeth, and (**i**) Cape Town.  
Figure 8: The developed South African rain height contour map for the summer season.  
Figure 9: The developed South African rain height contour map for the autumn season.  
Figure 11: The developed South African rain height contour map for the spring season.  
Figure 10: The developed South African rain height contour map for the winter season.  
Figures 10 and 11 also show that winter and spring exhibit similar trends, where northern and southern parts consistently have the highest and lowest values, respectively. Cape Town shows the all-time lowest rain height of about 3502 m compared to the other seasons and stations, primarily due to the frontal systems from the Atlantic during the winter season. All of the northeast stations experienced the largest changes in rain height in winter. This is because most of the regions receive their rainfall during the summer period, as indicated above. The semi-arid central region has a relatively moderately high rainfall in both summer and winter seasons but slightly lower rainfall compared to the northeastern parts. These areas are characterized by much less fluctuation in rain height during different seasons. Spring is a transitional season between winter and summer; therefore, a change is recorded in the southern and northern stations. For example, the rain height in Polokwane rose from 4416 m during winter to nearly 4857 m during spring. Lastly, the analysis of the rain height distribution during the four seasons has invariably supported the proposition that rain height increases toward the equator, and it is affected to a large extent by rainfall in the regions concerned.