Changes of Tropical Cyclones Landfalling in China From 1979 to 2018

Abstract

AbstractThis study investigates the long‐term changes of tropical cyclones (TCs) that originated over the western North Pacific (WNP) and made landfall in China from 1979 to 2018. The TC best track data sets from the three primary weather agencies, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), and the TCs landfall data from the CMA are used in this study. Trend analysis of the mean locations of the TCs' lifetime maximum intensity (LMI) suggests that the locations of the LMI of TCs have moved closer to the coast gradually. This shift may be associated with a landward migration of TC genesis. The changes in TC LMI possibly contribute to the slight increase in the TCs' landfall intensity and the significant growth of TCs' overland duration. Further analyses indicate that all these changes may be mainly due to both dynamic and thermodynamic conditions in the WNP, which tend to be more favorable for the formation and development of TCs, and some of the favorable conditions have shifted toward the land during the 40 years.