A study on terrain-induced tropical cyclone looping in East Taiwan: case study of Typhoon Haitang in 2005

Abstract

A mesoscale mountain such as the Central Mountain Range (CMR) of Taiwan can considerably affect the motion and the structure of an approaching tropical cyclone in very complicated ways. Many studies have presented and explained the mechanism for the change of moving speed, track deflection, or track discontinuity. In the past, the tracks of Typhoon Mary (1965), Tropical Cyclone Polly (1993), and Typhoon Haitang (2005) have a looping motion prior to making landfall on Taiwan. When the looping occurs, the timing and the intensity of the typhoon to affect Taiwan can be very different from the one moving with smooth track. It is very important to have a correct forecast for disaster mitigation operations. However, the mechanism causing such looping has not been fully understood. In this study, the case of Typhoon Haitang is examined. The radar reflectivity diagrams are used to illustrate looping in its track. By applying piecewise potential vorticity inversion analysis and numerical model simulations, it is shown that the looping motion of Typhoon Haitang near Taiwan resulted from the CMR terrain effect. When Typhoon Haitang approaches Taiwan and its circulation encounters the CMR, the terrain induces a cyclonic vortex in the lee side of the mountain over southeast of Taiwan. This terrain-induced vortex interacts with Typhoon Haitang in a way similar to the binary vortex interaction. The two vortex centers rotate around their system center, which causes looping of Typhoon Haitang.