Investigating the Characteristics of Tropical Cyclone Size in the Western North Pacific from 1981 to 2009

Abstract

Tropical cyclone (TC) size is an important parameter for estimating TC risks, such as precipitation distribution, gale-force wind damage, and storm surge. This paper uses the TC size dataset compiled by the Shanghai Typhoon Institute of China Meteorological Administration (STI/CMA) to investigate the interannual, monthly variation in TC size, and the relationships between TC size and intensity in the WNP basin from 1981 to 2009. The results show that the annual mean TC size oscillated within the range of 175–210 km from 1981 to 2002, then decreased following 2003. For the monthly average TC size, there are two peaks in September and October. The TC size, overall, becomes larger with increasing intensity; the samples with an unusually large size are mainly concentrated near a 40 m s−1 intensity. After the TC intensity exceeds 40 m s−1, the number of unusually large size samples gradually decreases. About 60% of the TCs reach their maximum size after reaching the peak intensity, and the average lag time is 8.3 h.