Empirical relation between the typhoon surge deviation and the corresponding typhoon characteristics: a case study in Taiwan

The relation between typhoon surges and typhoon characteristics measured at Kenfang Tidal Station on the northeast coast of Taiwan was studied in this paper. Typhoon characteristics include the typhoon center atmospheric pressure, the typhoon near-center wind speed, the typhoon storm radius, the distance between the typhoon center and the tidal station, and the typhoon approach tracks. The results show that the typhoon surge deviation is strongly dependent on typhoon characteristics. An empirical typhoon surge formula is proposed in terms of the typhoon wind speed, the typhoon storm radius, and the distance between the typhoon center and the tidal station. The coefficients in the empirical formula were evaluated, based on the measured typhoon surge data at Kenfang Tidal Station. The storm surge deviations at Kenfang Station during Typhoons Doug (1994) and Herb (1996) estimated using the proposed empirical formula were compared with the measured data as well as with the results of a numerical study.