The Use of the Conway–Maxwell–Poisson in the Seasonal Forecasting of Tropical Cyclones

Abstract

AbstractThe Conway–Maxwell–Poisson distribution improves the precision with which seasonal counts of tropical cyclones may be modeled. Conventionally the Poisson is used, which assumes that the formation and transit of tropical cyclones is the result of a Poisson process, such that their frequency distribution has equal mean and variance (“equi-dispersion”). However, earlier studies of observed records have sometimes found overdispersion, where the variance exceeds the mean, indicating that tropical cyclones are clustered in particular years. The evidence presented here demonstrates that at least some of this overdispersion arises from observational inhomogeneities. Once this is removed, and particularly near the coasts, there is evidence for equi-dispersion or underdispersion. To more accurately model numbers of tropical cyclones, we investigate the use of the Conway–Maxwell–Poisson as an alternative to the Poisson that represents any dispersion characteristic. An example is given for East China where using it improves the skill of a prototype seasonal forecast of tropical cyclone landfall.