The Role of Precipitation and Convective Features on Tropical Cyclone Intensification Derived from 16-yr TRMM Observations

Using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) observations of global tropical cyclones (TCs) from 1998 to 2013, relationships between TC inner core convective and precipitation parameters and TC intensification rate are explored by decoupling the dependency of these parameters on TC intensity and that on TC intensification rate. Sixteen TC intensity change-intensity categories are categorized. The results show that strong, positive, and linear relationships exist between TC intensification rate and various inner-core precipitation and convective parameters, including rain rate, convective intensity, stratiform rain occurrence, and deep convection occurrence. The symmetry of precipitation rate in the inner core increases linearly with TC intensification rate except in major hurricanes. While the symmetry of TC inner-core convective intensity linearly increases with TC intensification rate. Linear and positive relationships are also found between TC intensity and these inner-core features. The inner-core size, as quantified by using the radius maximum azimuthally mean rainfall decreases with both TC intensification rate and TC intensity.