An overview of the tropical cyclone database at the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan

Abstract

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has established a new version of tropical cyclone (TC) database to provide users with comprehensive TC data services. As of June 2022, the database includes 1673 TCs originating in the western North Pacific and South China Sea regions since the CWB began TC forecasting operations in 1958. It collects not only the track dataset, satellite imagery, and synoptic weather charts, but also more detailed data and products of TCs that have impacted Taiwan, such as radar reflectivity imagery, high-density surface observations, dropwindsonde data from aircraft observations, and mesoscale analysis maps of rainfall, wind, pressure, and temperature. Such detailed data realistically preserves the TC’s journey across Taiwan and is a feature of the CWB TC database. In addition, the TC database website (https://rdc28.cwb.gov.tw/TDB/) provides tools that allow users to search for TCs of interest based on track, rainfall, and wind. Digital best track data since 1958 is available (https://rdc28.cwb.gov.tw/TDB/manager/obs_data_download/) for users to download and conduct TC research. Also included are technical reports summarizing extensive historical observational research focusing on the mesoscale variations during a TC’s passage over Taiwan. The TC database has been widely used in academic research, disaster prevention, crop revenue insurance, offshore wind power, and other fields. It will continue to develop useful products and integrate more diverse observations to meet the needs of different users.