Abstract
The precipitation during landfall of typhoon Haitang (2005) showed asymmetric structures (left side/right side of the track). Analysis of Weather Research and Forecasting model simulation data showed that rainfall on the right side was more than 15 times stronger than on the left side. The causes were analyzed by focusing on comparing the water vapor flux, stability and upward motion between the two sides. The major results were as follows: (1) Relative humidity on both sides was over 80%, whereas the convergence of water vapor flux in the lower troposphere was about 10 times larger on the right side than on the left side. (2) Both sides featured conditional symmetric instability [MPV (moist potential vorticity) <0], but the right side was more unstable than the left side. (3) Strong (weak) upward motion occurred throughout the troposphere on the right (left) side. The Q vector diagnosis suggested that large-scale and mesoscale forcing accounted for the difference in vertical velocity. Orographic lift and surface friction forced the development of the asymmetric precipitation pattern. On the right side, strong upward motion from the forcing of different scale weather systems and topography caused a substantial release of unstable energy and the transportation of water vapor from the lower to the upper troposphere, which produced torrential rainfall. However, the above conditions on the left side were all much weaker, which led to weaker rainfall. This may have been the cause of the asymmetric distribution of rainfall during the landfall of typhoon Haitang.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bender, M. A., R. E. Tuleya, and Y. A. Kurihara, 1985: A numerical study of the effect of a mountain range on a landfalling tropical cyclone. Mon. Wea. Rev., 113, 567–582.
Bennetts, D. A., and B. J. Hoskins, 1979: Conditional symmetric instability—a possible explanation for frontal rainbands. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 105, 945–962.
Chan, J. C., and X. D. Liang, 2003: Convective asymmetries associated with tropical cyclone landfall. Part I: f -plane simulations. J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 1560–1567.
Chen, L. S., X. D. Xu, Z. X. Luo, and J. Z. Wang, 2002: Introduction to Dynamics of Tropical Cyclone. China Meteorological Press, Beijing, 211–313. (in Chinese)
Chen, L. S., and Y. H. Ding, 1979: Outline of the Western Pacific Typhoon. Science Press, Beijing, 440–488 pp. (in Chinese)
Chen, L. S., and Z. Y. Meng, 2001: An overview on tropical cyclone research progress in China during the past ten years. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 25, 420–432. (in Chinese)
Chen, L. S., Z. X. Luo, and Y. Li, 2004: Research advances on tropical cyclone landfall process. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 62, 541–549. (in Chinese)
Cline, I. M., 1926: Tropical cyclones. MacMillan Co., New York, N. Y., 301 pp.
Ding, Y. H., 1989: Diagnostic and Analytical Methods in Synoptic Dynamics. Science Press, Beijing, 114–116. (in Chinese)
Ding, Z. Y., Y. Wang, X. Y. Shen, and H. M. Xu, 2009: On the causes of rainband breaking and asymmetric precipitation in typhoon Haitang (2005) before and after its landfall. J. Trop. Meteor., 25, 513–520. (in Chinese)
Dunn, G. E., and B. I. Miller, 1964: Atlantic Hurricanes. Louisiana State University Press, 377 pp.
Dunn, L. B., 1991: Evaluation of vertical motion: Past, present, and future. Wea. Forecasting, 6, 65–73.
Dudhia, J., 1989: Numerical study of convection observed during the Winter Monsoon Experiment using a mesoscale twodimensional model. J. Armos. Sci., 46, 3077–3107.
Ek, M. B., K. E. Mitchell, Y. Lin, E. Rogers, P. Grunmann, V. Koren, G. Gayno, and J. D. Tarpley, 2003: Implementation of Noah land surface model advances in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction operational mesoscale Eta Model. J. Geophys. Res., 108, 8851, doi: 10.1029/2002JD003296.
Frank, W. M., 1977: The structure and energetics of the tropical cyclone. Part I: Storm structure. Mon. Wea. Rev., 105, 1119–1135.
Hong, S.-Y., and H.-L. Pan, 1996: Nonlocal boundary layer vertical diffusion in a medium-range forecast model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 124, 2322–2339.
Hoskins, B. J., I. Draghici, and H. C. Davies, 1978: A new look at the ω-equation. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 104, 31–38.
Huang, Y., S. W. Shou, and L. Y. Fu, 2009: A diagnostic analysis of PV and MPV on the heavy rain caused by typhoon Khanun. Meteorological Monthly, 35, 65–73. (in Chinese)
Ji, C. X., G. Y. Xue, F. Zhao, Z. S. Yu, and H. Zhang, 2007: The numerical simulation of orographic effect on the rain and structure of typhoon Rananim during landfall. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 233–244. (in Chinese)
Jones, R. W., 1987: A simulation of hurricane landfall with a numerical model featuring latent heating by the resolvable scales. Mon. Wea. Rev., 115, 2279–2297.
Kain, J. S., and J. M. Frisch, 1993: Convective Parameterization for Mesoscale Models: The Kain-Fritsch Scheme. The Representation of Cumulus Convection in Numerical Models, Meteor. Monogr., No. 46, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 165–170.
Keyser, D., M. J. Reeder, and R. J. Reed, 1988: A generalization of Petterssen’s frontogenesis function and its relation to the forcing of vertical motion. Mon. Wea. Rev., 116, 762–781.
Keyser, D., B. D. Schmidt, and D. G. Duffy, 1992: Quasigeostrophic vertical motions diagnosed from along-and crossisentrope components of the Q vector. Mon. Wea. Rev., 120, 731–741.
Lai, S. J., F. He, R. T. Zhao, T. L. Shen, and Q. S. Wu, 2007: The diagnostic analysis of “Longwang” typhoon. Scientia Meteorologica Sinica, 27, 266–271. (in Chinese)
Li, S. Y., Z. Y. Ding, and N. Zhou, 2007: Numerical simulation and diagnostic analysis of the southern rainstorm of 0307 typhoon “Imbudo” influencing Guangxi. Journal of Oceanography in Taiwan Strait, 26, 204–212. (in Chinese)
Lin, Y. L., D. B. Enskey, and S. Chiao, 2002: Orographic influences on rainfall and track deflection associated with the passage of a tropical cyclone. Mon. Wea. Rev., 130, 2929–2950.
Lin, Y.-L., R. D. Farley, and H. D. Orville, 1983: Bulk parameterization of the snow field in a cloud model. J. Appl. Meteor., 22, 1065–1092.
Malwer, E. J., S. J. Taubman, P. D. Brown, M. J. Iacono, and S. A. Clough, 1997: Radiative transfer for inhomogeneous atmospheres: RRTM, a validated correlated correlated-k model for the long-wave. J. Geophys. Res., 102D, 16663–16682.
Marks, F. D. Jr., 1985: Evolution of the structure of precipitation in Hurricane Allen (1980). Mon. Wea. Rev., 113, 909–930.
Martin, J. E., 1999: Quasi-geostrophic forcing of ascent in the occluded sector of cyclones and the trowel airstream. Mon. Wea. Rev., 127, 70–88.
Martin, J. E., 2007: Lower-tropospheric height tendencies associated with the shearwise and transverse components of quasigeostrophic vertical motion. Mon. Wea. Rev., 135, 2803–2809.
Miller, B. I., 1958: Rainfall rates in Florida hurricanes. Mon. Wea. Rev., 86, 258–264.
Miller, B. I., P. P. Chase, and B. R. Jarvinen, 1972: Numerical prediction of tropical weather systems. Mon. Wea. Rev., 100, 825–835.
Niu, X. X., H. L. Du, and J. Y. Liu, 2005: The numerical simulation of rainfall and precipitation mechanism associated with typhoons Sinlaku (0216). Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 63, 57–68. (in Chinese)
Parrish, J. R., R. W. Burpee, F. D. Marks Jr., and R. Grebe, 1982: Rainfall patterns observed by digitized radar during the landfall of hurricane Frederic (1979). Mon. Wea. Rev., 110, 1933–1944.
Powell, M. D., 1982: The transition of the Hurricane Frederic boundary-layer wind field from the open Gulf of Mexico to landfall. Mon. Wea. Rev., 110, 1912–1932.
Powell, M. D., 1987: Changes in the low-level kinematic and thermodynamic structure of Hurricane Alicia (1983) at landfall. Mon. Wea. Rev., 115, 75–99.
Si, G. W., 1990: Torrential Rain and Severe Convective System. China Meteorological Press, Beijing, 128 pp. (in Chinese)
Sinclair, M. R., 1994: A diagnostic model for estimating orographic precipitation. J. Appl. Meteor., 33, 1163–1175.
Tao, S. Y., 1980: Torrential Rain of China. Science Press, Beijing, 132 pp. (in Chinese)
Tao, Z. Y., B. J. Tian, and W. Huang, 1994: Asymmetry structure and torrential rain of landing typhoon 9216. Journal of Tropical Meteorology, 10, 69–77. (in Chinese)
Tuleya, R. E., and Y. Kurihara, 1978: A numerical simulation of the landfall of tropical cyclones. J. Atmos. Sci., 35, 242–257.
Wang, C.-C., H.-C. Kuo, Y.-H. Chen, H.-L. Huang, C.-H. Chung, and K. Tsuboki, 2012: Effects of asymmetric latent heating on typhoon movement crossing Taiwan: The case of Morakot (2009) with extreme rainfall. J. Atmos. Sci., 69, 3172–3196.
Wang, J., Z. J. Ke, and J. X. Jiang, 2007: A diagnostic analysis to the asymmetric distribution of typhoon rainfall area. J. Trop. Meteor., 23, 563–568. (in Chinese)
Wang, Y., Z. Y. Ding, X. Li, and Q. Wang, 2010: Dynamic analysis of asymmetric spiral rain bands around the landing of typhoon Haitang (2005). J. Trop. Meteor., 16, 143–153. (in Chinese)
Wang, S. J., and G. F. Chen, 1997: A study on the criterion for interpreting typhoon heavy rain location. J. Appl. Meteor., 8, 167–174. (in Chinese)
Wu, G. X., Y. P. Cai, and X. J. Tang, 1995: Moist potential vorticity and slantwise vorticity development. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 53, 387–405. (in Chinese)
Wu, L. G., J. Liang, and C.-C. Wu, 2011: Monsoonal influence on Typhoon Morakot (2009). Part I: Observational analysis. J. Atmos. Sci., 68, 2208–2221.
Yang, M.-J., S. A. Braun, and D.-S. Chen, 2011: Water budget of typhoon Nari (2001). Mon. Wea. Rev., 139, 3809–3828.
Yue, C. J., 2009a: A quantitative study of asymmetric characteristic genesis of precipitation associated with typhoon Haitang. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 33, 51–70. (in Chinese)
Yue, C. J., 2009b: The Q vector analysis of the heavy rainfall from Meiyu Front cyclone: A case study. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 23, 68–80.
Yue, C.-J., and Y. Cao, 2014: Study on the genesis of asymmetrical distribution characteristics of precipitation associated with the typhoon Haitang (2005) from the viewpoint of atmospheric factor. J. Trop. Meteor., 30, 219–228. (in Chinese)
Yue, C. J., S. W. Shou, K. P. Lin, and X. P. Yao, 2003: Diagnosis of the heavy rain near a Meiyu front using the wet Q vector partitioning method. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 20, 37–44, doi: 10.1007/BF03342048.
Yue, C.-J., S.-W. Shou, G. Zeng, and Y.-Q. Wang, 2008: Preliminary study on asymmetric cause of formation of precipitation associated with typhoon Haitang. Plateau Meteorology, 27, 1334–1342. (in Chinese)
Yue, C.-J., X.-Q. Lu, X. F. Li, and Z.-P. Zong, 2011: A study of partitioning Q vector on background conditions of a torrential rainfall over Shanghai, China on 25 August 2008. J. Trop. Meteor., 17, 231–247.
Zhao, Y., and Z.-M. Wu, 2004: An analysis of the potential vorticity for the northward typhoon 9711 evolution and rainstorm. Journal of Ocean University of China, 34, 13–21. (in Chinese)
Zhu, Q. G., J. R. Lin, S. W. Shou, and D. S. Tang, 1992: Synoptic Principle and Method. China Meteorological Press, Beijing, 322–464. (in Chinese)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yue, C., Gao, S., Liu, L. et al. A diagnostic study of the asymmetric distribution of rainfall during the landfall of typhoon Haitang (2005). Adv. Atmos. Sci. 32, 1419–1430 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-015-4246-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-015-4246-0