More tropical cyclones are striking coasts with major intensities at landfall

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we show that the number of annual global tropical cyclone (TC) landfalls with major landfall intensity (LI ≥ 50 m s−1) has nearly doubled from 1982 to 2020. The lifetime maximum intensity (LMI) of global major landfalling TCs has been increasing by 0.8 m s−1 per decade (p < 0.05), but this significance of intensity change disappears at landfall (0.3 m s−1 per decade, p = 0.69). The lack of a significant LI trend is caused by the much larger variance of LI than that of LMI in all basins and explains why a significant count change of TCs with major intensity at landfall has only now emerged. Basin-wide TC trends of intensity and spatial distribution have been reported, but this long-term major TC landfall count change may be the most socio-economic significant.