Origin and Maintenance of the Long-Lasting, Outer Mesoscale Convective System in Typhoon Fengshen (2008)

• Published in: Monthly weather review 2014-08, Vol.142 (8), p.2838-2859
• Main Authors: Chen, Buo-Fu, Elsberry, Russell L, Lee, Cheng-Shang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boundary layers; Circulation; Climatology; Cold; Computer simulation; Convergence; Cyclones; Environmental conditions; Heavy rainfall; Hurricanes; Inflow; Kinematics; Maintenance; Marine; Mesoscale convective systems; Mesoscale phenomena; Meteorology; Moisture; Moisture effects; Moisture flux; Monsoons; Precipitation; Rain; Rainfall; Scatterometers; Topography; Tropical cyclones; Typhoons; Vertical wind shear; Vortices; Weather; Weather forecasting; Westerlies; Wind; Wind shear
• ISSN: 0027-0644; 1520-0493
• DOI: 10.1175/MWR-D-14-00036.1

Outer mesoscale convective systems (OMCSs) are long-lasting, heavy rainfall events separate from the inner-core rainfall that have previously been shown to occur in 22% of western North Pacific tropical cyclones (TCs). Environmental conditions accompanying the development of 62 OMCSs are contrasted with the conditions in TCs that do not include an OMCS. The development, kinematic structure, and maintenance mechanisms of an OMCS that occurred to the southwest of Typhoon Fengshen (2008) are studied with Weather Research and Forecasting Model simulations. Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) observations and the simulations indicate the low-level TC circulation was deflected around the Luzon terrain and caused an elongated, north–south moisture band to be displaced to the west such that the OMCS develops in the outer region of Fengshen rather than spiraling into the center. Strong northeasterly vertical wind shear contributed to frictional convergence in the boundary layer, and then the large moisture flux convergence in this moisture band led to the downstream development of the OMCS when the band interacted with the monsoon flow. As the OMCS developed in the region of low-level monsoon westerlies and midlevel northerlies associated with the outer circulation of Fengshen, the characteristic structure of a rear-fed inflow with a leading stratiform rain area in the cross-line direction (toward the south) was established. A cold pool (Δθ < −3 K) associated with the large stratiform precipitation region led to continuous formation of new cells at the leading edge of the cold pool, which contributed to the long duration of the OMCS.