Increase in tropical cyclone rain rate with translation speed

作者：Tu, Shifei; Chan, Johnny C. L.; Xu, Jianjun^*; Zhong, Quanjia; Zhou, Wen; Zhang, Yu

来源：Nature Communications, 2022, 13(1): 7325.

DOI：10.1038/s41467-022-35113-8

• VERTICAL WIND SHEAR
• CLIMATOLOGICAL RAINFALL
• STORM MOTION
• PRECIPITATION
• ASYMMETRIES
• MIGRATION
• CHINA
• FLOW

Using satellite observations, the authors show that the average tropical cyclone (TC) rain rate increases significantly with translation speed. On average, the rain rate of a fast-moving TC is about 24% higher than that of a slow one. @@@ In general, tropical cyclone (TC) rainfall accumulation usually decreases with faster TC translation speed but increases with heavier rain rate. However, how the TC rain rate changes with translation speed is unclear. Here we show that, in all TC basins, the average TC rain rate significantly increases with translation speed. On average, the rain rate in a fast-moving TC is 24% higher than in a slow one. This difference increases with TC intensity, with category 3-5 TCs having a 42% increase while tropical depressions exhibit only a 9% increase. The increase in the average TC rain rate with translation speed is mainly caused by the TC net inflow in the lower troposphere, as well as vertical wind shear. These findings have important implications not only for a deeper understanding of rain rate changes in a translating TC but also for short-term forecasts of TC rainfall and disaster preparedness.

• 单位
  广东海洋大学; 复旦大学