Abstract
Eyewall replacements occur in 70% of major tropical cyclones (TCs), and
are associated with rapid changes in storm intensity and rapid
broadening of strong winds. In this study, we present to use the radial
gradient of absolute angular momentum with Holland’s wind profile as a
simple diagnostic for eyewall replacement as internal variability of the
storm. The diagnostic is solely dependent on the maximum wind speed, the
radius of maximum wind, and the latitude and found to coincident with
70% of satellite observed concentric eyewalls for 1991-2020. The
diagnostic can be expressed as a latitude-irrelevant Rossby Number of
primary eyewall, varying with the peakedness of wind. It highlights the
importance of pressure-wind relationship in eyewall replacement and
provides a valuable tool to improve the understanding, modeling and risk
assessment of storms with eyewall replacements.