Contrasting Precipitation, Circulation, and Environmental Characteristics of Short-and Long-Duration Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification Events

The duration of tropical cyclone (TC) rapid intensification (RI) has a significant impact on its maximum intensity, but has rarely been examined. Using satellite and reanalysis data, this study investigates the precipitation characteristics and associated structural and environmental differences of global RI events with different durations. RI events are classified into short-duration (SD, 24–36 h) and long-duration (LD, >36 h) events. Overall, LD events exhibit higher and more symmetric surface precipitation rates than SD events, although LD events have weaker TC intensity. Following RI onset, deep and non-deep convective coverage increases within the inner-core for both SD and LD events, with LD events generally maintaining higher coverage of both cloud types. LD events are further characterized by stronger upper-level radial outflow and enhanced mid-to-lower-tropospheric inflow, indicating a more sustained and vertically developed circulation. RI duration is positively correlated with total precipitable water (TPW) before onset and negatively correlated with vertical wind shear (VWS) afterward, while maximum potential intensity (MPI) and sea surface temperature (SST) consistently show a relatively stronger positive correlation with RI duration. Shear-relative composites further show that LD events maintain more favorable and relatively symmetric environmental conditions during RI. These results highlight characteristics in RI onset and maintenance and provide new insights into factors associated with RI duration.