Interbasin Differences in the Median and Variability of Tropical Cyclone MPI in the Northern Hemisphere

A cloud resolving model is used to examine the intensification of tilted tropical cyclones from depression to hurricane strength over relatively cool and warm oceans under idealized conditions where environmental vertical wind shear has become minimal. Variation of the SST does not substantially change the time-averaged relationship between tilt and the radial length scale of the inner core, or between tilt and the azimuthal distribution of precipitation during the hurricane formation period (HFP). By contrast, for systems having similar structural parameters, the HFP lengthens superlinearly in association with a decline of the precipitation rate as the SST decreases from 30 to 26 °C. In many simulations, hurricane formation progresses from a phase of slow or neutral intensification to fast spinup. The transition to fast spinup occurs after the magnitudes of tilt and convective asymmetry drop below certain SST-dependent levels following an alignment process explained in an earlier paper. For reasons examined herein, the alignment coincides with enhancements of lower–middle tropospheric relative humidity and lower tropospheric CAPE inward of the radius of maximum surface wind speed rm. Such moist-thermodynamic modifications appear to facilitate initiation of the faster mode of intensification, which involves contraction of rm and the characteristic radius of deep convection. The mean transitional values of the tilt magnitude and lower–middle tropospheric relative humidity for SSTs of 28-30 °C are respectively higher and lower than their counterparts at 26 °C. Greater magnitudes of the surface enthalpy flux and core deep-layer CAPE found at the higher SSTs plausibly compensate for less complete alignment and core humidification at the transition time.

Intensification of Tilted Tropical Cyclones over Relatively Cool and Warm Oceans in Idealized Numerical Simulations

Schecter

2022

Potential Intensification Rate of Tropical Cyclones in a Simplified Energetically Based Dynamical System Model: An Observational Analysis

Wang

2022

In a recent study by Wang et al. (2021a) that introduced a dynamical efficiency to the intensification potential of a tropical cyclone (TC) system, a simplified energetically based dynamical system (EBDS) model was shown to be able to capture the intensity-dependence of TC potential intensification rate (PIR) in both idealized numerical simulations and observations. Although the EBDS model can capture the intensity-dependence of TC intensification as in observations, a detailed evaluation has not yet been done. This study provides an evaluation of the EBDS model in reproducing the intensity-dependent feature of the observed TC PIR based on the best-track data for TCs over the North Atlantic, central, eastern and western North Pacific during 1982–2019. Results show that the theoretical PIR estimated by the EBDS model can capture basic features of the observed PIR reasonably well. The TC PIR in the best-track data increases with increasing relative TC intensity (intensity normalized by its corresponding maximum potential intensity–MPI) and reaches a maximum at an intermediate relative intensity around 0.6, and then decreases with increasing relative intensity to zero as the TC approaches its MPI, as in idealized numerical simulations. Results also show that the PIR for a given relative intensity increases with the increasing MPI and thus increasing sea surface temperature, which is also consistent with the theoretical PIR implied by the EBDS model. In addition, future directions to include environmental effects and make the EBDS model applicable to predict intensity change of real TCs are also discussed.

Contribution of Dissipative Heating to the Intensity Dependence of Tropical Cyclone Intensification

Wang

Tan

2022

Previous studies have demonstrated the contribution of dissipative heating (DH) to the maximum potential intensity (MPI) of tropical cyclones (TCs). Since DH is a function of near-surface wind speed and thus TC intensity, a natural question arises as to whether DH contributes to the intensity-dependence of TC potential intensification rate (PIR). To address this issue, an attempt has been made to include DH in a recently developed time-dependent theory of TC intensification. With this addition, the theory predicts a shift of the maximum PIR towards the higher intensity side, which is consistent with the intensity-dependence of TC intensification rate in observed strong TCs. Since the theory without DH predicts a dependence of TC PIR on the square of the MPI, the inclusion of DH results in an even higher PIR for strong TCs. Considering the projected increase in TC MPI under global warming, the theoretical work implies that as the climate continues to warm, TCs may intensify more rapidly. This may not only make the TC intensity forecasting more difficult, but also may increase the threats of TCs to the coastal populations if TCs intensify more rapidly just before they make landfall.