scholarly journals An Extended Model for the Potential Intensity of Tropical Cyclones

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 641-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Frisius ◽  
Daria Schönemann
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Convective Instability ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Extended Model ◽  
Flow Imbalance ◽  
Conditional Instability

Abstract Emanuel’s theory of hurricane potential intensity (E-PI) makes use of the assumption that slantwise convective instability vanishes in a steady-state vortex of a tropical cyclone. In the framework of an extended mathematical potential intensity model it is shown that relaxing this assumption and including an eye results in a larger maximum wind speed compared to that of the predictions made by E-PI. Previous studies by Bryan and Rotunno demonstrate that the effect of unbalanced flow considerably contributes to maximum winds in excess of E-PI (“superintensity”). The authors argue that the proposed mechanism induced by convective instability provides another possible explanation for simulated and observed tropical cyclones exceeding E-PI in addition to flow imbalance. Further evidence for the relevance of conditional instability in mature tropical cyclones to superintensity is given by the fact that convective available potential energy arises in numerical simulations of tropical cyclones. This is demonstrated by means of an axisymmetric cloud model that is in qualitative agreement with the analytical model. These simulations reveal a dependence of superintensity on the amount of CAPE outside the eyewall and also reproduce the decrease in superintensity with increased horizontal diffusion as found in previous studies.

scholarly journals Tropical cyclone simulations over Bangladesh at convection permitting 4.4 km & 1.5 km resolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamish Steptoe ◽  
Nicholas Henry Savage ◽  
Saeed Sadri ◽  
Kate Salmon ◽  
Zubair Maalick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Mean Sea Level ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
Medium Range ◽  
Gust Speed

AbstractHigh resolution simulations at 4.4 km and 1.5 km resolution have been performed for 12 historical tropical cyclones impacting Bangladesh. We use the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting 5th generation Re-Analysis (ERA5) to provide a 9-member ensemble of initial and boundary conditions for the regional configuration of the Met Office Unified Model. The simulations are compared to the original ERA5 data and the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) tropical cyclone database for wind speed, gust speed and mean sea-level pressure. The 4.4 km simulations show a typical increase in peak gust speed of 41 to 118 knots relative to ERA5, and a deepening of minimum mean sea-level pressure of up to −27 hPa, relative to ERA5 and IBTrACS data. The downscaled simulations compare more favourably with IBTrACS data than the ERA5 data suggesting tropical cyclone hazards in the ERA5 deterministic output may be underestimated. The dataset is freely available from 10.5281/zenodo.3600201.

Contribution of vertical advection to supergradient wind in tropical cyclone boundary layer: A numerical study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Fei ◽  
Yuqing Wang ◽  
Yuanlong Li
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Vertical Structure ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Vertical Advection ◽  
Physics Model ◽  
Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer

AbstractThe existence of supergradient wind in the interior of the boundary layer is a distinct feature of a tropical cyclone (TC). Although the vertical advection is shown to enhance supergradient wind in TC boundary layer (TCBL), how and to what extent the strength and structure of supergradient wind are modulated by vertical advection are not well understood. In this study, both a TCBL model and an axisymmetric full-physics model are used to quantify the contribution of vertical advection process to the strength and vertical structure of supergradient wind in TCBL. Results from the TCBL model show that the removal of vertical advection of radial wind reduces both the strength and height of supergradient wind by slightly more than 50%. The removal of vertical advection of agradient wind reduces the height of the supergradient wind core by ~30% but increases the strength of supergradient wind by ~10%. Results from the full-physics model show that the removal of vertical advection of radial wind or agradient wind reduces both the strength and height of supergradient wind but the removal of that of radial wind produces a more substantial reduction (52%) than the removal of that of agradient wind (35%). However, both the intensification rate and final intensity of the simulated TCs in terms of maximum 10-m wind speed show little differences in experiments with and without the vertical advection of radial or agradient wind, suggesting that supergradient wind contributes little to either the intensification rate or the steady-state intensity of the simulated TC.

A Parameter for Forecasting Tornadoes Associated with Landfalling Tropical Cyclones

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 1238-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Onderlinde ◽  
Henry E. Fuelberg
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Stepwise Regression ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Skill Scores ◽  
Landfalling Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Center Time

Abstract The authors develop a statistical guidance product, the tropical cyclone tornado parameter (TCTP), for forecasting the probability of one or more tornadoes during a 6-h period that are associated with landfalling tropical cyclones affecting the coastal Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic coast. TCTP is designed to aid forecasters in a time-limited environment. TCTP provides a “quick look” at regions where forecasters can then conduct detailed analyses. The pool of potential predictors included tornado reports and tropical cyclone data between 2000 and 2008, as well as storm environmental parameters. The original pool of 28 potential predictors is reduced to six using stepwise regression and logistic regression. These six predictors are 0–3-km wind shear, 0–3-km storm relative helicity, azimuth angle of the tornado report from the tropical cyclone, distance from the cyclone’s center, time of day, and 950–1000-hPa convective available potential energy. Mean Brier scores and Brier skill scores are computed for the entire TCTP-dependent dataset and for corresponding forecasts produced by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). TCTP then is applied to four individual cyclone cases to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the parameter and compare its performance with SPC forecasts. Results show that TCTP has skill at identifying regions of tornado potential. However, tornadoes in some tropical systems are overpredicted, but underpredicted in others. TCTP 6-h forecast periods provide slightly poorer statistical performance than the 1-day tornado probability forecasts from SPC, probably because the SPC product includes forecaster guidance and because their forecasts are valid for longer periods (24 h).

Spatial variations of North Atlantic landfalling tropical cyclone wind speed decay over the continental United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Jie Zhu ◽  
Jennifer M. Collins ◽  
Philip J. Klotzbach
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Spatial Variations ◽  
Decay Model ◽  
Weak Intensity ◽  
Landfalling Tropical Cyclones

AbstractUnderstanding tropical cyclone wind speed decay during the post-landfall stage is critical for inland hazard preparation. This paper examines the spatial variation of wind speed decay of tropical cyclones over the continental United States. We find that tropical cyclones making landfall over the Gulf Coast decay faster within the first 24 hours after landfall than those making landfall over the Atlantic East Coast. The variation of the decay rate over the Gulf Coast remains larger than that over the Atlantic East Coast for tropical cyclones that had made landfall more than 24 hours prior. Besides an average weaker tropical cyclone landfall intensity, the near-parallel trajectory and the proximity of storms to the coastline also help to explain the slower post-landfall wind speed decay for Atlantic East Coast landfalling tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones crossing the Florida peninsula only slowly weaken after landfall, with an average of less than 20% post-landfall wind speed drop while transiting the state. The existence of these spatial variations also brings into question the utility of a uniform wind decay model. While weak intensity decay over the Florida peninsula is well estimated by the uniform wind decay model, the error from the uniform wind decay model increases with tropical cyclones making direct landfall more parallel to the Atlantic East Coast. The underestimation of inland wind speed by the uniform wind decay model found over the western Gulf Coast brings attention to the role of land-air interactions in the decay of inland tropical cyclones.

scholarly journals Simulation of Structure, Track and Landfall of Tropical Cyclone Bijli Using WRF-ARW Model

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
KM Zahir Rayhun ◽  
DA Quadir ◽  
MA Mannan Chowdhury ◽  
MN Ahasan ◽  
MS Haque
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Relative Vorticity ◽  
Cumulus Parameterization ◽  
Arw Model ◽  
Boundary Layer Scheme ◽  
Cumulus Parameterization Schemes ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

An attempt was made to simulate the structure, track, landfall and a few dynamical aspects of the tropical cyclone Bijli that formed over the Bay of Bengal using WRF-ARW model. WRF model was run in a single domain using KF cumulus parameterization schemes with WSM 3 micro physics and YSU planetary boundary layer scheme. The ARW model was run for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hrs to simulate structure, track and landfall of tropical cyclones Bijli. The different simulated parameters viz. minimum sea level pressure, maximum wind speed, convective available potential energy and relative vorticity have been studied. The results showed that the model is capable to forecast the formation of the first depression 60 - 78 hrs in advance. This indicates the high and unique predictive power of ARW model for predicting the tropical cyclone formation. The model generates a realistic structure of the tropical cyclones with high spatial details. This was possible due to the higher spatial resolution of the regional model. One of the outstanding findings of the study is that the model was successfully predicted the tracks, recurvature and probable areas and time of landfall of the selected tropical cyclone Bijli with high accuracy even in the 96 hrs predictions.Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 39, No. 2, 157-167, 2015

Estimating Tropical Cyclone Intensity from Infrared Image Data

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 690-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel F. Piñeros ◽  
Elizabeth A. Ritchie ◽  
J. Scott Tyo
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Infrared Image ◽  
Ocean Basin ◽  
Maximum Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone Intensity ◽  
Cyclone Intensity ◽  
Maximum Wind

Abstract This paper describes results from a near-real-time objective technique for estimating the intensity of tropical cyclones from satellite infrared imagery in the North Atlantic Ocean basin. The technique quantifies the level of organization or axisymmetry of the infrared cloud signature of a tropical cyclone as an indirect measurement of its maximum wind speed. The final maximum wind speed calculated by the technique is an independent estimate of tropical cyclone intensity. Seventy-eight tropical cyclones from the 2004–09 seasons are used both to train and to test independently the intensity estimation technique. Two independent tests are performed to test the ability of the technique to estimate tropical cyclone intensity accurately. The best results from these tests have a root-mean-square intensity error of between 13 and 15 kt (where 1 kt ≈ 0.5 m s−1) for the two test sets.

scholarly journals Lilly’s Model for Steady-State Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Structure

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 3701-3720
Author(s):  
Dandan Tao ◽  
Richard Rotunno ◽  
Michael Bell
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Inner Core ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Unpublished Manuscript ◽  
Tangential Wind ◽  
Radial Structure ◽  
Simplifying Assumptions

AbstractThis study revisits the axisymmetric tropical cyclone (TC) theory from D. K. Lilly’s unpublished manuscript (Lilly model) and compares it to axisymmetric TC simulations from a nonhydrostatic cloud model. Analytic solutions of the Lilly model are presented through simplifying assumptions. Sensitivity experiments varying the sea surface, boundary layer and tropopause temperatures, and the absolute angular momentum (M) at some outer radius in the Lilly model show that these variations influence the radial structure of the tangential wind profile V(r) at the boundary layer top. However, these parameter variations have little effect on the inner-core normalized tangential wind, V(r/rm)/Vm, where Vm is the maximum tangential wind at radius rm. The outflow temperature T∞ as a function of M (or saturation entropy s*) is found to be the only input that changes the normalized tangential wind radial structure in the Lilly model. In contrast with the original assumption of the Lilly model that T∞(s*) is determined by the environment, it is argued here that T∞(s*) is determined by the TC interior flow under the environmental constraint of the tropopause height. The present study shows that the inner-core tangential wind radial structure from the Lilly model generally agrees well with nonhydrostatic cloud model simulations except in the eyewall region where the Lilly model tends to underestimate the tangential winds due to its balanced-dynamics assumptions. The wind structure in temperature–radius coordinates from the Lilly model can largely reproduce the numerical simulation results. Though the Lilly model is based on a number of simplifying assumptions, this paper shows its utility in understanding steady-state TC intensity and structure.

Impacts of Air–Sea Flux Parameterizations on the Intensity and Structure of Tropical Cyclones

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (7) ◽  
pp. 2308-2324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin W. Green ◽  
Fuqing Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Surface Flux ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Flux Parameterization

Abstract Fluxes of momentum and moist enthalpy across the air–sea interface are believed to be one of the most important factors in determining tropical cyclone intensity. Because these surface fluxes cannot be directly resolved by numerical weather prediction models, their impacts on tropical cyclones must be accounted for through subgrid-scale parameterizations. There are several air–sea surface flux parameterization schemes available in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model; these schemes differ from one another in their formulations of the wind speed–dependent exchange coefficients of momentum, sensible heat, and moisture (latent heat). The effects of surface fluxes on the intensity and structure of tropical cyclones are examined through convection-permitting WRF simulations of Hurricane Katrina (2005). It is found that the intensity (and, to a lesser extent, structure) of the simulated storms is sensitive to the choice of surface flux parameterization scheme. In agreement with recent studies, the drag coefficient CD is found to affect the pressure–wind relationship (between minimum sea level pressure and maximum 10-m wind speed) and to change the radius of maximum near-surface winds of the tropical cyclone. Fluxes of sensible and latent heat (i.e., moist enthalpy) affect intensity but do not significantly change the pressure–wind relationship. Additionally, when low-level winds are strong, the contribution of dissipative heating to calculations of sensible heat flux is not negligible. Expanding the sensitivity tests to several dozen cases from the 2008 to 2011 Atlantic hurricane seasons demonstrates the robustness of these findings.

scholarly journals Tropical cyclone exposure is associated with increased hospitalization rates in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robbie M. Parks ◽  
G. Brooke Anderson ◽  
Rachel C. Nethery ◽  
Ana Navas-Acien ◽  
Francesca Dominici ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Poisson Model ◽  
Parasitic Diseases ◽  
Hospital Personnel ◽  
Hospitalization Rates

AbstractHurricanes and other tropical cyclones have devastating effects on society. Previous case studies have quantified their impact on some health outcomes for particular tropical cyclones, but a comprehensive assessment over longer periods is currently missing. Here, we used data on 70 million Medicare hospitalizations and tropical cyclone exposures over 16 years (1999–2014). We formulated a conditional quasi-Poisson model to examine how tropical cyclone exposure (days greater than Beaufort scale gale-force wind speed; ≥34 knots) affect hospitalizations for 13 mutually-exclusive, clinically-meaningful causes. We found that tropical cyclone exposure was associated with average increases in hospitalizations from several causes over the week following exposure, including respiratory diseases (14.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.9–17.9%); infectious and parasitic diseases (4.3%; 95%CI: 1.2–8.1%); and injuries (8.7%; 95%CI: 6.0–11.8%). Average decadal tropical cyclone exposure in all impacted counties would be associated with an estimated 16,772 (95%CI: 8,265–25,278) additional hospitalizations. Our findings demonstrate the need for targeted preparedness strategies for hospital personnel before, during, and after tropical cyclones.

scholarly journals A Thermodynamic Perspective on Steady-State Tropical Cyclones

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaël Rousseau-Rizzi ◽  
Richard Rotunno ◽  
George Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Maximum Intensity ◽  
The Core ◽  
Relaxation Term

AbstractTheories for the maximum intensity of tropical cyclones (TCs) assume steady state. However, many TCs in simulations that run for tens of days tend to decay considerably from an early steady state in the core (CS), before stabilizing at a final equilibrium steady state (ES). This decay raises the question of whether CS or ES should be used as a comparison to the maximum intensity theories. To understand the differences between CS and ES, we investigate why TCs decay and attempt to simulate a TC with steady intensity over a 100-day period. Using the axisymmetric Cloud Model 1, we find that the CS TC decay is due to a large-scale drying of the subsidence region. Such a drying is very pronounced in axisymmetric models because shallow-to-mid level convection is not represented accurately enough to moisten air in the subsidence region. Simulations with an added moisture relaxation term in the subsidence region and dry cyclones without any moisture both remain in a steady state for over 100 days, without decaying appreciably after the spin-up period. These simulations indicate that the decay in TC simulations is due to the irreversible removal of precipitation combined with the lack of a moistening mechanism in the subsidence region. Once either of these conditions is removed, the decay disappears and the CS and ES intensities become essentially equivalent.

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