Diagnostic analysis of the asymmetric structure of the simulated landfalling typhoon “Haitang”

The landfalling processes of Typhoon “Haitang” near Lianjiang of Fujian Province of China from 00 UTC 19 to 12 UTC 20 July 2005 were reproduced by using the nesting non-hydrostatic WRF model and data assimilation technology (Level II Doppler radar data of Changle of Fujian Province are assimilated to the simulation every one hour from 01 to 06 UTC 19 July 2005). The mesoscale structure and evolution of the typhoon before, during, and after its landfall were discussed. The simulation data show that the assimilation experiment with the high temporal-and-spatial-resolution radar radial velocity and reflectivity data can produce much better simulation of the typhoon track, intensity evolution and landfalling location than the control experiment without assimilating radar data. By using the assimilation experimental data, the mesoscale fine-mesh structure and evolution before and after typhoon landfall were analyzed. Because of the influence of sea–land thermodynamic difference, two asymmetric convective regions were located at ocean and land, respectively. To better understand and investigate the asymmetric-structure characteristics of the landfalling typhoon, several dynamical diagnostic tools, the helicity (H), the moist potential vorticity (MPV), the convective vorticity vector (CVV), the moist vorticity vector (MVV), which are associated with the development of strong convections, are introduced. Further analysis illuminates that the distributions of these physical diagnostic parameters are totally asymmetric, and subsequently, the associated convections also show distinct asymmetry.