Global Increase of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation Rate Toward Coasts
Weiqing Qi, Bin Yong, Elizabeth A. Ritchie, J. Scott Tyo, Ralf Toumi
Abstract
Abstract Tropical cyclones (TCs) induced precipitation poses a critical threat to coastal regions. In the context of global warming and humidification, it remains to be clarified whether coastal exposure to TC‐induced precipitation has a detectable response. Based on multi‐source data sets in the past four decades, this study investigates the coastward trends of global TC‐induced precipitation changes. We find that the TC lifetime maximum precipitation intensities show a statistically significant landward migration, moving about 30 km per decade. Furthermore, the precipitation intensities of TCs exhibit faster growth in coastal areas, with a concurrent rapid expansion of the land coverage of TC‐induced precipitation. A consistent pattern of change is demonstrated between intensifying TC‐induced precipitation and the warming‐humidifying ambient environment, with higher significance in coastal areas. Our findings suggest that the spatial heterogeneity in global climate change may have contributed to the modulation of coastal TC‐induced precipitation.