Long-term and inter-annual variations of tropical cyclones affecting Taiwan region

This study investigates the frequency, intensity, and duration of tropical cyclones and the resulting precipitation affecting Taiwan region between 1958 and 2016. Monthly distributions, inter-annual variability, and long-term trends are examined by piecewise linear regression, the Mann-Kendall method, empirical orthogonal function, and Morlet wavelet. The periodicity of climatic factors can reflect and express climate change. The quantified patterns of tropical cyclones affecting Taiwan allow inference of potential impact in the coming years, providing essential information for storm surge modeling and hazard mitigation. Under climate change, the frequency, intensity, and duration of tropical cyclones show an overall statistical tendency of decline, but Taiwan is currently in a period of stronger tropical cyclones. The precipitation intensity has a very little decreasing tendency, and the results of the inter-annual analysis indicate that it is smaller for the 2017-2019 period. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.