Worsening Tropical Cyclone Impact in Cities

Tropical cyclones (TCs) produce multiple hazards: extreme winds, storm surges, and heavy rainfall. Recent disasters (e.g., Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017, Florence in 2018, Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019) highlight the significant and increasing vulnerability of coastal cities to TC hazards. Future TC impacts will likely be worse because of potentially increasing TC activity due to climate change, in conjunction with sea-level rise and rapid coastal development. Major advances are called for in modeling TC hazards and their impact in the context of climate change and coastal development, as well as in developing engineering and policy strategies to mitigate the risk and adapt to a changing environment. These challenges may be most effectively addressed through integrating advanced numerical methods with state-of-the-art science and innovative engineering. This Research Topic aims to promote collaboration among researchers in science and engineering, developing and applying advanced methods for modeling and dealing with increasing TC impact and risk. Subjects of interest include but are not limited to:

• TC climatology and long-term projection
• Observational analysis, experimental investigation, and numerical modeling of TC wind, storm surge, and rainfall flooding
• Multi-hazards from TCs (e.g., compound flooding) and related weather extremes (e.g., heat waves following TC disasters).
• Impacts of TC hazards on infrastructure systems and the built environment
• Strategies of climate change adaptation through engineering and/or policy measures