Tropical Cyclone Formation/Structure/Motion Studies

The long-term goals are to understand how variabilities in the large-scale atmospheric environment influence tropical cyclone track, structure, and intensity characteristics and define how these influences differ between developing, mature, and decaying tropical cyclones. During the initial stages of tropical cyclone development, structure and track characteristics can exhibit large variabilities that decrease potential predictability. Because decaying tropical cyclones often transition to fast-moving and rapidly-developing extratropical cyclones that may contain gale-, storm-, or hurricane-force winds, there is a need to improve understanding and prediction of the extratropical transition (ET) phase of a decaying tropical cyclone. The structural evolution of the transition from a tropical to extratropical circulation involves rapid changes to the wind, cloud, and precipitation patterns. Furthermore, the ET of a tropical cyclone may impact the midlatitude circulation patterns downstream. Therefore, a tropical cyclone throughout its life cycle has the potential for impacting many fleet units.