Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of more than 17.2m/s (34 kt), which are called tropical storms, are generated over the western North Pacific with an average of nearly 27 per year. About three of them usually make landfall over Japan in summer and/or autumn. Strong tropical cyclones with maximum wind exceeding 33m/s (64kt) are called typhoons in the western North Pacific. The typhoon is one of the most feared and deadly weather systems on earth and causes tremendous damage and loss of life. In particular, severe typhoons cause damages of infrastructure by destructive winds, severe floods and high storm surges. However, rainfall by typhoons is required to reserve water resources which sre valuable for our life. Typhoon Research Department has proceeded to develop numerical models for the purpose of improvement of typhoon prediction. Also, our group has studied processes of genesis, intensification, extratropical transition of typhoons, and specific cases which are closely ralated to disasters caused by typhoons.

• Study on prediction and understanding of meso-scale weather phenomena with a non-hydrostic model (Collaboration in MRI)
  
• Study of processes of structual change of typhoons passed by surrounding Japan and specific cases of high wind, heavy rains and storm surge caused by the typhoons (Collaboration in MRI)
  
• A study of unusual weather in Japan and its relation to the climatic change(Collaboration in MRI)
  
• Study of structural changes of typhoon approaching Kyushu and relevant phenomena(Collaboration in JMA)
  
• Fundamental study of strong-wind mechanism around the typhoon center(Collaboration in JMA)
  
• Study of understanding tendencies of non-precipitable echo and its utilization(Collaboration in JMA)
  
  

• Sophistication of the nonhydrostatic atmospheric model and improvement of the associated data assimilation technique
  Numerical study of severe storms using the non-hydrostatic model(1st lab.)
  
• Study of structual change of typhoons using remote sensing data (2nd lab.)
  
• Study of typhoon prediction using a numerical model. (1st lab.)
  
• Construction of database of landfalling typhoons in 2004 and their preliminary review.
  
  

• Refereed journal articles, Reports, and Abstracts
  

• Portable X-band Doppler Radar