Typhoon Vicente(2012) underwent rapid intensification(RI) within 24 h before landfall in China's Mainland. Analysis of the large-scale environment and characteristics of Vicente identifies the aforementioned intensification as classic RI. The process occurred in an environmental flow with a deep-layer shear ranging from 5 ms-1 to 8 ms-1. Convection caused by persistent vertical shear forcing of the vortex was observed primarily in the downshear left quadrant of the storm. However, radar and satellite observations indicate that the northern convection of the inner core of Vicente quickly developed in the down-shear right three hours near landfall.
The influence of outer-core surface entropy fluxes(SEFs)on tropical cyclone(TC)outer rainband activity is investigated in this study with a fully compressible,nonhydrostatic model.A control simulation and two sensitivity experiments with the outer-core SEF artificially increased and decreased by 20%respectively were conducted to examine the quasi-periodic outer rainband behavior.Larger negative horizontal advection due to the greater radial wind and the positive contribution by asymmetric eddies leads to a longer period of outerrainband activity in the SEF-enhanced experiment.The well-developed outer rainbands in the control and SEF-reduced simulations significantly limit the TC intensity,whereas such an intensity suppression influence is not pronounced in the SEF-enhanced experiment.As diabatic heating in outer rainbands strengthens the outer-core tangential wind,the quasi-periodic activity of outer rainbands contributes to the quasi-periodic variations of the inner-core size of the TCs.
This study examined the impact of an improved initial field through assimilating ground-based radar data from China's Mainland and Taiwan Island to simulate the long-lasting and extreme rainfall caused by Morakot(2009). The vortex location and the subsequent track analyzed through the radial velocity data assimilation(VDA) are generally consistent with the best track. The initial humidity within the radar detecting region and Morakot's northward translation speed can be significantly improved by the radar reflectivity data assimilation(ZDA). As a result, the heavy rainfall on both sides of Taiwan Strait can be reproduced with the joint application of VDA and ZDA. Based on sensitivity experiments, it was found that, without ZDA, the simulated storm underwent an unrealistic inward contraction after 12-h integration, due to underestimation of humidity in the global reanalysis, leading to underestimation of rainfall amount and coverage. Without the vortex relocation via VDA, the moister(drier) initial field with(without) ZDA will produce a more southward(northward) track, so that the rainfall location on both sides of Taiwan Strait will be affected. It was further found that the improvement in the humidity field of Morakot is mainly due to assimilation of high-value reflectivity(strong convection) observed by the radars in Taiwan Island, especially at Kenting station. By analysis of parcel trajectories and calculation of water vapor flux divergence, it was also found that the improved typhoon circulation through assimilating radar data can draw more water vapor from the environment during the subsequent simulation, eventually contributing to the extreme rainfall on both sides of Taiwan Strait.
A heavy rainfall process, which occurred in Shanghai during 5-6 August, 2001 from a landfalling tropical depression (TD),is examined with a control numerical experiment based on MM5 model. It is found that the contours of generalized equivalent potential temperature (θ*) are almost vertical with respect to horizontal surfaces near the TD center and more densely distributed than those of equivalent potential temperature (θe).Because the atmosphere is non-uniformly saturated in reality, θ* takes the place of θe in the definition of convective vorticity vector (CVV) so that a new vector, namely the generalized convective vorticity vector (CVV*), is applied in this study. Since CVV* can reflect both the secondary circulation and the variation of horizontal moist baroclinicity, the vertical integration of vertical component of CVV* is found, in this study, to represent the rainfall areas in the TD case better than potential vorticity (PV), moist potential vorticity (MPV), generalized moist potential vorticity (Pm), and CVV, with high-value area of CVV* corresponding to heavy-rainfall area. Moreover, the analysis from CVV* implies that the Hangzhou Bay might play an important role in the heavy rain process. A sensitivity experiment without the Hangzhou Bay is then designed and compared with the control run. It is found that the CVV* becomes weaker than that in the control run, implying that the elimination of Hangzhou Bay results in reduced rainfall. Further analyses show that the Hangzhou Bay provides sufficient water vapor and surface heat flux to the TD system, which is very important to the genesis and development of mesoscale cloud clusters around the TD and the associated heavy rainfall.
Severe typhoon Fitow(1323)brought persistent and heavy rainfall to Zhejiang and the Shanghai area after it made landfall at Fujian Province of China in October 2013,breaking the rainfall records of several counties and districts in Zhejiang.In this paper,we provide an overview of the characteristics of Fitow’s landfall,including its track,intensity,structural evolution,heavy rainfall,and wind.We also describe some of the associated disastrous impacts.Finally,we provide verifications of operational forecasts of its track,intensity and rainfall.Though the track and intensity is well predicted,the rainfall persistence and enhancement in the second stage in Shanghai and north Zhejiang areas are not predicted out at all.The analysis presented in this paper provides forecasters and researchers with some valuable information on Fitow,which could form a useful basis for further studies.
