A Numerical Investigation of the Eyewall Evolution of a Tropical Cyclone

In this study, a high-resolution numerical simulation is conducted to investigate the eyewall evolution of Typhoon Imbudo (2003). The eyewall contraction, breakdown, and reformation are successfully simulated by the model. The eyewall accordantly shrinks throughout the whole troposphere prior to landfall, while it exhibits different variations after landfall in the lower and upper troposphere, respectively. It is found that the dry air advected into the storm inner core through a low-θe channel, the reduced surface latent heat transfer, and the increased inffows in the coastal region are associated with the eyewall contraction. Accompanied with the high-to-low wavenumber change in the vortex Rossby waves, the initial polygonal eyewall transforms to an elliptical one. Such a wavenumber change is likely associated with the change of interaction between the rainbands and the eyewall. The corresponding features of the time-averaged and vertical dynamic and thermodynamic structures are also examined during the storm passage. A tangential wind budget analysis indicates that a strong acceleration due to the contributions of both the eddy and the mean circulation is located in the lower layer in the eyewall during pre-landfall, and the mean circulation contribution to the change in the tendency of the azimuthally averaged tangential wind counteracts the eddy contribution.