General description of the Climatological Atlases

The China Meteorological Administration has long been devoted to the compilation of climatological atlases and datasets, which can be valuable for both operational and research work. During the past fifty years, the following climatological atlases and datasets have been published.

The Western North Pacific Typhoon Tracks 1949–1969 (published in 1972).

The Western North Pacific Typhoon Tracks (1949–1969) was compiled and released by the Central Meteorological Bureau (i.e., CMA) in 1972. This is a Chinese atlas that includes the following content:

  • list of tropical cyclone names;
  • tropical cyclone tracks;
  • best track data tables;
  • climatological statistics.
The Western North Pacific Typhoon Dataset 1949–1980 (published in 1984).

The Western North Pacific Typhoon Dataset (1949–1980) was compiled by the Shanghai Typhoon Institute and published by China Meteorological Press in 1984. The dataset is in Chinese and includes data for tropical cyclones in the region of (EQ–55°N, 105°E–180°). Its contents are:

  • list of tropical cyclone names;
  • tropical cyclone tracks;
  • best track data tables;
  • climatological tropical cyclone tracks for periods of years, months, tens (about 10 days) and pentads (about 5 days).
The Climatological Atlas for Northwest Pacific Tropical Cyclones 1951–1980 (published in 1990).

The Climatological Atlas for Northwest Pacific Tropical Cyclones (1951–1980) was compiled by the Shanghai Typhoon Institute and published as a Chinese–English bilingual version in 1990. The atlas includes the climatology of tropical cyclones during different phases of the lifespan (i.e., genesis, development, and decay), the climatology of tropical cyclone motion (i.e., translating direction and speed), the climatology of tropical cyclone intensity change, the climatology of landfalling tropical cyclones, and the climatology of bi- and multi-tropical cyclones. The main contents are as follows:

  • genesis, development, and decay of the tropical cyclones;
  • track and translation of tropical cyclones;
  • tropical cyclones landfalling in China.
The Climatological Atlas of Tropical Cyclones Affecting China 1951–2000 (published in 2007).

The Chinese–English bilingual atlas entitled Climatological Atlas of Tropical Cyclones Affecting China (1951–2000) was compiled by the Shanghai Typhoon Institute and published by Science Press, China in 2007. This atlas includes the climatology of tropical cyclones affecting China, and the climatology of tropical cyclone-induced wind and precipitation. Its contents include:

  • general features of tropical cyclones;
  • tropical cyclone precipitation;
  • tropical cyclone high winds;
  • statistics for tropical cyclones.
The Climatological Atlas of Tropical Cyclones over the Western North Pacific 1981–2010 (published in 2017).

The Chinese–English bilingual atlas entitled Climatological Atlas of Tropical Cyclones over the Western North Pacific (1981–2010) was compiled by the Shanghai Typhoon Institute and published by Science Press, China in 2017. This atlas includes the climatology of tropical cyclones affecting China, and the climatology of tropical cyclone-induced wind and precipitation. Its contents include:

  • genesis, development, and decay of tropical cyclones;
  • tracks and motion of tropical cyclones;
  • tropical cyclones affecting and landfalling in China;
  • tropical cyclones statistics.
Ordering Information for Users

Users who wish to order these atlases can contact the Shanghai Typhoon Institute, China Meteorological Administration (click Contact Us).