Research brief: Ring like structure in cyclone leads to rapid intensification of surface winds

The most intense and destructive tropical cyclones generally go through a period of rapid intensification, where "rapid" means that the near-surface winds increase by more than 15 m/s (54km/hr) in 24 hrs. However, the physical processes by which storms rapidly intensify are not well understood. This study uses very high-resolution simulations with the UK Met Office Unified Model of the 2016 north-Pacific tropical cyclone, Nepartak, to explore the processes responsible for its rapid intensification.