Quantifying the Contribution of Track Changes to Interannual Variations of North Atlantic Intense Hurricanes

Previous studies have linked interannual variability of tropical cyclone(TC)intensity in the North Atlantic basin(NA)to Sahelian rainfall,vertical shear of the environmental flow,and relative sea surface temperature(SST).In this study,the contribution of TC track changes to the interannual variations of intense hurricane activity in the North Atlantic basin is evaluated through numerical experiments.It is found that that observed interannual variations of the frequency of intense hurricanes during the period 1958–2017 are dynamically consistent with changes in the large-scale ocean/atmosphere environment.Track changes can account for~50%of the interannual variability of intense hurricanes,while no significant difference is found for individual environmental parameters between active and inactive years.The only significant difference between active and inactive years is in the duration of TC intensification in the region east of 60°W.The duration increase is not due to the slow-down of TC translation.In active years,a southeastward shift of the formation location in the region east of 60°W causes TCs to take a westward prevailing track,which allows TCs to have a longer opportunity for intensification.On the other hand,most TCs in inactive years take a recurving track,leading to a shorter duration of intensification.This study suggests that the influence of track changes should be considered to understand the basin-wide intensity changes in the North Atlantic basin on the interannual time scale.

IMPACT OF TROPICAL INTRASEASONAL OSCILLATION ON THE TRACKS OF TROPICAL CYCLONES IN THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC

In this work,an index of tropical 20-90 d oscillation(intra-seasonal oscillation;ISO)in the western North Pacific(WNP)was determined via the combined empirical orthogonal function(EOF)method using daily outgoing longwave radiation(OLR)field data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA),daily wind field data(at 850 hPa)from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF)and referencing the Madden-Julian oscillation(MJO)index proposed by Wheeler and Hendon.An in-depth investigation was conducted to examine the impact of the ISO on changes in tropical cyclone(TC)tracks in the WNP during different ISO phases.The research results indicate that during the easterly phase of the ISO,under the impact of the northeastern airflow of anti-cyclonic ISO circulation,the easterly airflow south of the western Pacific subtropical high is relatively weak,and TCs generated in the subtropical high tend to change their tracks east of 140°E;during the westerly phase,there is a relatively high probability that TCs change their tracks west of 140°E.This work also analyzed the ISO flow field situation in cases of typhoons and determined that the track of a tropical cyclone will experience a sudden right turn when the center of the ISO cyclonic(anti-cyclonic)circulation coincides with that of the cyclone.

Super Typhoon Hinnamnor(2022)with a Record-Breaking Lifespan over the Western North Pacific

Super Typhoon Hinnamnor(2022)was a rare and unique western North Pacific typhoon,and throughout its lifespan,it exhibited all of the major features that pose current challenges in typhoon research.Specifically,during different stages of its lifespan,it experienced a sudden change of track,underwent rapid intensification,interacted and merged with another vortex,expanded in size,underwent rapid weakening,produced a strong cold wake,exhibited eyewall replacement,and underwent extratropical transition.Therefore,a timely identification and review of these features of Hinnamnor(2022),as reported in this article,will help update and enrich the case sets for each of these scientific issues and provide a background for more in-depth mechanistic studies of typhoon track,intensity,and structural changes in the future.We also believe that Hinnamnor(2022)can serve as an excellent benchmark to quickly evaluate the overall performance of different numerical models in predicting typhoon’s track,intensity,and structural changes.