Impact of Cloud-Radiation Processes on Tropical Cyclone Development in Sheared Environments

While recent numerical modeling studies have shown that cloud-radiative feedbacks promote accelerated rates of tropical cyclone (TC) formation, less is known about the relevance of radiative processes to early TC development after genesis, particularly in sheared environments. In this study, idealized Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulations are conducted to investigate the physical mechanisms through which radiative interactions with cloud hydrometeors, known as cloud radiative forcing (CRF), could impact TC development in vertical wind shear. Results indicate that CRF modulates the TC structure, including the size of the wind field, the structure of the stratiform region, and the distribution of peripheral convection. A balanced vortex equation is applied to better understand how vertical and radial structures of the CRF could contribute to the development of a broader and stronger secondary circulation. Moisture budget analyses are also employed to investigate the physical processes through which CRF-induced structural changes promote earlier onset of TC intensification relative to simulations without CRF.