Prediction of typhoon track and intensity using a generative adversarial network with observational and meteorological data

Abstract

AuthorTo save lives and reduce damage from the destructive impacts of a typhoon, an accurate and fast forecast method is highly demanded. Particularly, predictions for short lead times, known as nowcasting, rely on fast forecasts allowing immediate emergency plannings in the affected areas. In this paper, we propose a generative adversarial network that operates on a single graphics processing unit, to predict both the track and intensity of typhoons for short lead times within fractions of a second. To investigate the effects of meteorological variables on typhoon forecasts, we conducted a parameter study for 6-h track predictions. The results of the study indicate that learning velocity, temperature, pressure, and humidity along with satellite images have positive effects on prediction accuracy. To address the limited access to observational data and facilitate predictions for 12-h intervals, we replaced satellite images with reanalysis data of the total cloud cover and vorticity fields. This replacement led to an increase in data from 76 to 757 typhoons, and it reduced the error of the 6-h track forecasts by 23.5%. The best combination of the parameter study yields track predictions in intervals of 6 and 12 h with the corresponding averaged absolute errors of 44.5 and 68.7 km. Typhoon intensities are predicted by extracting information from generated velocity fields with averaged hit rates of 87.3% and 83.2% for 6- and 12-h interval forecasts, respectively. For typhoons after 1994, tracks and intensities for 12-h intervals are compared to forecasts from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center and Regional Specialized Meteorological Center Tokyo.