The Impact of Tropical Storm Paul (1999) on the Motion and Rainfall Associated with Tropical Storm Rachel (1999) near Taiwan

Abstract

A heavy rainfall event associated with the passage of Tropical Storm Rachel (1999) over southern Taiwan was studied in which a conceptual model was proposed. In the model, Tropical Storm Paul (1999) plays an important role in impeding the movement of Rachel, thus becoming one of the key factors in enhancing the rainfall amount in southern Taiwan. To further quantify the above concept, a mesoscale numerical model is used to evaluate the influence of Paul on the simulated rainfall associated with Rachel near Taiwan. Sensitivity experiments are performed by removing the circulation of Paul, and/or the large-scale monsoon trough system, where Paul is imbedded. The potential vorticity diagnosis shows that the movement of Rachel is indeed affected by the presence of Paul. Nevertheless, a more detailed analysis shows that it is the presence of the entire monsoon trough that impedes the movement of Rachel and steers the storm toward southwestern Taiwan especially before its landfall. In all, these results generally support the conceptual model with regard to the heavy rainfall mechanism proposed in a previous study. Moreover, this study further points out that it is the circulation associated with both Paul and the entire monsoon trough that affects the movement of Rachel. In addition, the analyses based on the no-terrain simulation depict the relationships among the moisture-rich air from the South China Sea associated with Rachel, relatively dry air from South China, and the mechanism of forming a warm and dry region to the eastern side of the Taiwan terrain, which greatly influences the heavy rainfall distribution in the event.