Delayed Typhoon Season in China Over the Past Four Decades

Abstract

Tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific have considerable impacts on coastal regions in East Asia, particularly in China. This study finds a significant delay of the typhoon season in China, which is defined as the duration from the first to the last typhoon affecting China in a calendar year, with threshold dates of the last five percentiles of accumulated cyclone energy shifting later at a rate of 5 to 8 days per decade over the satellite era 1979−2023. The seasonal delay is closely related to a significant delay in the genesis of the last typhoons affecting China, primarily attributed to elevated sea surface temperature and mid-level relative humidity in the main development region of the western North Pacific. Our findings urge a need to extend typhoon related disaster prevention measures in China.