Analysis of the Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of PWV and Rainfall with the Typhoon Movement: A Case Study of ‘Meihua’ in 2022

Abstract

The serious and frequent typhoon activities can easily cause extreme precipitation weather in the eastern coastal area of China, which is affected by land and sea differences. To explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) and rainfall during the typhoon period, the data of the conspicuous case named ‘Meihua’ in 2022 is adopted in analysis. In this paper, firstly, the accuracy of the PWV retrieved by ERA5 was evaluated, which met the experimental analysis requirements, compared with the conference value of the Radiosonde (RS). Secondly, the correlation between PWV, rainfall and the typhoon path were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, using 16 meteorological stations in the typhoon path. The results indicated that PWV reached its peak value 2–6 h than rainfall, which was an important reference for rainfall forecasting. Then, the ‘Pearson correlation coefficient’ method was used for the quantitative evaluation of the correlation between PWV and the distance of the ‘weather station-typhoon’. The results showed that PWV had an obvious upward trend, with a decrease in the distance between the ‘weather station-typhoon’. The variation in PWV is intense at a reduced distance, and can reach its peak 16 h before the arrival of the typhoon. A strong negative correlation was demonstrated, with an average value of −0.73 for the Pearson correlation coefficient. Analyzing the temporal and spatial changes of the typhoon track, PWV and rainfall, the results show that before the typhoon passes through the region, both the PWV and rainfall certainly reach their maximum. The variation trends of PWV and rainfall in the period of the typhoon are significantly consistent. The center of PWV and rainfall is mainly located on the northwest side of the typhoon center, which showed obvious asymmetry.