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Evolution of Tropical Cyclone Structures during Extratropical Transition in Idealized Experiments

delete2025-11-01
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PRE
AI
W
Wataru Yanase *
E
Eigo Tochimoto
N
Naoko Kitabatake
P
Peter M. Finocchio
DOI:10.1175/JAS-D-25-0044.1delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Tropical cyclones (TCs) undergoing extratropical transition (ET) in the midlatitudes have several structural differences from typical TCs. The link between specific structural changes and large-scale conditions during ET remains to be fully elucidated because processes can vary from one case to another, depending on various factors such as upper-tropospheric troughs and orography. To explore the fundamental evolution of ET, we conduct idealized simulations using a nonhydrostatic atmospheric model on the b plane with a horizontal grid spacing of 5 km and examine in detail the ET characteristics produced by the interaction between a northward-moving TC and a zonally uniform baroclinic zone. The control experiment reproduces the wind and precipitation patterns unique to ET and subsequent reintensification as an extratropical cyclone, which are in good agreement with observational studies. Two asymmetric processes govern the evolution and dynamics of structures during ET. Warm frontogenesis in the northeastern part of the cyclone is evident in the late ET period (frontal stage), which locally enhances wind and precipitation. In addition to this well-known frontal process, precipitation is enhanced in the slantwise convection in the northern part of the cyclone in the early ET period (prefrontal stage), where conditional symmetric stability is reduced in strong westerly vertical shear associated with the combination of the TC circulation and the westerly jet stream. Sensitivity experiments demonstrate that warm frontogenesis and reintensification are enhanced in the environment with stronger baroclinicity and that the slantwise convection north of the cyclone occurs even with spatially uniform baroclinicity.
Keywords:
Extratropical cyclones
Extratropical transition
Frontogenesis/frontolysis
Tropical cyclones
Idealized models

Journal

J
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
IF:
2.8
Papers:
69
Citations:
0

Organization

M
meteorological research institute - japan
Scholars:
725
Papers: 792
Citations: 1
Japan Meteorological Agency cover
Japan Meteorological Agency
Scholars:
655
Papers: 522
Citations: 2.5K