Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf Coastline
There continues to be a need to relate rainfall produced by tropical cyclones (TCs) to moisture in the near-storm environment. This research measured the distribution of volumetric rainfall around 43 TCs at the time of landfall over the U.S. Gulf Coast. The spatial patterns of rainfall were related...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/9/895 |
| _version_ | 1797555851276320768 |
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| author | Sanghoon Kim Corene J. Matyas Guoqian Yan |
| author_facet | Sanghoon Kim Corene J. Matyas Guoqian Yan |
| author_sort | Sanghoon Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There continues to be a need to relate rainfall produced by tropical cyclones (TCs) to moisture in the near-storm environment. This research measured the distribution of volumetric rainfall around 43 TCs at the time of landfall over the U.S. Gulf Coast. The spatial patterns of rainfall were related to atmospheric moisture, storm intensity, vertical wind shear, and storm motion. We employed a geographic information system (GIS) to perform the spatial analysis of satellite-derived rain rates and total precipitable water (TPW), which was measured on the day before landfall. Mann–Whitney <i>U</i> tests revealed statistically significant differences in conditions when TCs were grouped by location. TCs moving over Texas entrained dry air from the continent to produce less rainfall to the left of their moving direction. As moisture was plentiful, rainfall symmetry during landfall over the central Gulf Coast was mainly determined by the vector of vertical wind shear and storm intensity. For landfalls over the Florida peninsula, interaction with a cooler and drier air mass left of center created an uplift boundary that corresponded with more rainfall on the TC’s left side when the moisture boundary represented by the 40 mm contour of TPW existed 275–350 km from the storm center. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:53:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-095bd9da8e284d0d8642caab3156fcfc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:53:32Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-095bd9da8e284d0d8642caab3156fcfc2023-11-20T11:12:18ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332020-08-0111989510.3390/atmos11090895Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf CoastlineSanghoon Kim0Corene J. Matyas1Guoqian Yan2Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAThere continues to be a need to relate rainfall produced by tropical cyclones (TCs) to moisture in the near-storm environment. This research measured the distribution of volumetric rainfall around 43 TCs at the time of landfall over the U.S. Gulf Coast. The spatial patterns of rainfall were related to atmospheric moisture, storm intensity, vertical wind shear, and storm motion. We employed a geographic information system (GIS) to perform the spatial analysis of satellite-derived rain rates and total precipitable water (TPW), which was measured on the day before landfall. Mann–Whitney <i>U</i> tests revealed statistically significant differences in conditions when TCs were grouped by location. TCs moving over Texas entrained dry air from the continent to produce less rainfall to the left of their moving direction. As moisture was plentiful, rainfall symmetry during landfall over the central Gulf Coast was mainly determined by the vector of vertical wind shear and storm intensity. For landfalls over the Florida peninsula, interaction with a cooler and drier air mass left of center created an uplift boundary that corresponded with more rainfall on the TC’s left side when the moisture boundary represented by the 40 mm contour of TPW existed 275–350 km from the storm center.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/9/895tropical cyclonelandfalltotal precipitable waterrainfall symmetryvertical wind shear |
| spellingShingle | Sanghoon Kim Corene J. Matyas Guoqian Yan Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf Coastline Atmosphere tropical cyclone landfall total precipitable water rainfall symmetry vertical wind shear |
| title | Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf Coastline |
| title_full | Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf Coastline |
| title_fullStr | Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf Coastline |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf Coastline |
| title_short | Rainfall Symmetry Related to Moisture, Storm Intensity, and Vertical Wind Shear for Tropical Cyclones Landfalling over the U.S. Gulf Coastline |
| title_sort | rainfall symmetry related to moisture storm intensity and vertical wind shear for tropical cyclones landfalling over the u s gulf coastline |
| topic | tropical cyclone landfall total precipitable water rainfall symmetry vertical wind shear |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/9/895 |
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