Reexamination of the Tropical Cyclone Wind–Pressure Relationship Based on Pre-1987 Aircraft Data in the Western North Pacific

Abstract

Abstract The wind–pressure relationship (WPR) for tropical cyclones (TCs) in the western North Pacific is reexamined based on aircraft data, TC best track data, and daily reanalysis data during 1957–87. Minimum sea level pressure (MSLP) was estimated from aircraft reconnaissance, and maximum surface wind speeds (MSWs) were adjusted from the maximum wind speed at flight level. The mean MSLP was found to be higher during 1957–64 than during 1965–87, presumably due to the change in reconnaissance instrumentation and technology, which results in a systematic MSW bias (too high) before 1965 in the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) dataset. Further analyses found that the WPR used in the CMA dataset is more accurate for strong TCs, while the WPR in the Tokyo Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) dataset is better for weak TCs after the MSW-RSMC converted by the Dvorak conversion table (1984) and when using the aircraft datasets as a baseline. Several prevailing operational WPRs used in the western North Pacific are reexamined. Results show that the WPR of Knaff and Zehr explains 71% of the variance with a MAE of 9.22 hPa, which represents a significant improvement over other WPRs. Utilizing data after 1965 (a total of 1874 samples), the effects of TC center latitude, size, translation speed, intensification trend, and environmental pressure on the WPRs were examined. Results show that faster-traveling TCs, smaller in size, and located in a higher environmental pressure at lower latitudes, exhibited a higher MSLP for a given MSW. Meanwhile, the latitude, translational speed, and the environmental pressure produces additional improvement, but the TC size and intensity change added only a little skill to the WPR equation.