A METHOD OF ESTIMATING TYPHOON CENTRAL WIND BASED ON SEA LEVEL PRESSURE OF THE TYPHOON YEARBOOK OF CHINA

Based on the Typhoon Yearbook data (1980-2000), some wind-pressure fitting relationships were established for different typhoon intensity at the different latitudes of the western North Pacific. As shown in validations with the 2001-2005 data, the relationships (namely, those between minimum sea level pressure (SLP) and maximum sustained wind near a typhoon center) are stable. They may be applied to correct the overestimated typhoon wind speeds in earlier years (1950-1979). Statistical analysis showed that the stronger the typhoon, the more stable this wind-pressure relationship is. Moreover, it is more stable at the lower latitude belt (10°N-30°N). On the basis of this result, a methodology of correcting typhoon's wind speeds and frequency in these years was put forward, and the climatological series were reconstructed of yearly total typhoon frequencies over the western North Pacific in 1950-1979 and indices were determined of destructive power of typhoons in the offshore regions of China.