Climatology of Different Classifications of Tropical Cyclones Landfalling in Guangdong Province of China during 1951–2020

Abstract

The climatology of different classifications (based on the intensity at the landfall time) of tropical cyclones (TCs) making landfall in Guangdong Province of China during 1951–2020 (70 years) is investigated using the best track data from the China Meteorological Administration and ERA5 reanalysis data. There were 234 TCs making landfall in Guangdong Province, with more severe tropical storms (STSs, 30.8%) and typhoons (TYs, 27.3%), and less tropical depressions (TDs, 19.7%) and tropical storms (TSs, 22.2%) during the past 70 years. The frequency of the landfall TCs had a significant interannual oscillation of 2–5 years. Landfall TCs generated over the western North Pacific (WNP) were usually more and stronger than those generated over the South China Sea (SCS). The TCs generated over the WNP had longer lifetime duration and shorter on-land duration than those generated over the SCS. TCs making landfall in western Guangdong were the most, followed by central Guangdong and eastern Guangdong. The composite analysis using TC-relative coordinates indicated that the precipitation of different classifications of TCs making landfall in Guangdong Province was asymmetric, which was stronger in the south of the TC center. The position of the maximum precipitation showed a cyclonic rotation around the TC center with increasing TC intensity. Generally, the vertical velocity, moisture flux, warm core, and vertical wind shear enhanced with the increasing landfall TC intensity. The vertical velocity and moisture flux of different classifications of TCs also showed an asymmetric structure related to the distribution of TC precipitation. TSs, STSs, and TYs had a double warm-core configuration. The precipitation of the TDs and TSs usually occurred over the down-shear of average vertical wind shear, those of the STSs and TYs over the left-of-shear.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation in Guangdong Province, China, from 1961 to 2020

“…In the past 10 years, the average annual economic loss as a result of TCs in Guangdong Province was more than CNY 15 billion, accounting for about 64% of the province's meteorological disaster losses. The average annual death toll is approximately 31 people, accounting for 40% of the province's recorded deaths due to meteorological disasters, ranking in first place according to the number of deaths caused by all the various kinds of natural disasters [22,23,27,28].…”

“…The non-rainy season (NRS) runs from January to March and from October to December. [22,23,27,28] The daily precipitation and maximum wind speed data from 86 meteorological stations in Guangdong Province, as recorded from 1961 to 2020, were used in this study. Although some of these stations were already in operation in the 1950s, they were relatively few and their spatial distribution was sparse, which may affect the accuracy of calculations regarding the objective separation of TC precipitation and wind to a certain extent.…”

“…Differences in the spatial distribution of TC precipitation in Guangdong are primarily caused by the apparent differences in TC activities. According to a study by Zhang et al, from 1951 to 2020, there were 112, 71, and 51 TCs making landfall in western Guangdong, central Guangdong, and eastern Guangdong, respectively [27]. Yan et al found that in the case of TCs that landed in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the highest values of precipitation appeared in the coastal areas of the PRD and the western regions of Guangdong; for TCs that landed in eastern Guangdong, the highest values of precipitation appeared in the PRD and eastern Guangdong.…”

Impact of Thermal Forcing over the Southeast of the Tibetan Plateau on Frequency of Tropical Cyclones Affecting Guangxi during Boreal Summer

“…Previous studies have suggested that landfalling tropical cyclones in southern China are generated over the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea (SCS) and then gradually move northwest toward the southern coast. These tropical cyclones can be tracked along the southwestern edge of the western North Pacific subtropical high [5][6][7]. In particular, the frequency of landfalling typhoons in southern China has increased since the year 2000 [8][9][10].…”