The Relation Between Circulation Intensity in the Temperate Latitude Cyclone and Air Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies

D. Yu. Gushchina, T. G. Arakelyan, and M. A. Petrosyants†

The relationship between air temperature, precipitation, and circulation intensity in extratropical cyclones at subsequent stages of their evolution is studied. The cyclones observed in the Atlantic and Pacific sectors in winters from 1991 to 2000 are considered. The NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, GPCP database, and cyclone trajectory archive of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, are used. It is demonstrated that there are significant connections between circulation intensity, air temperature, and precipitation in cyclones. The intensity of circulation along the cyclone contour reflects both the precipitation fall in the cyclone center and a synoptic structure of frontal precipitation. It was concluded that speed circulation along the cyclone contour can be recommended as a characteristic of cyclone intensity together with the currently used pressure in the cyclone center.