Tag Archives: Super Typhoon

Pacific Ocean storm intensifies into year’s first super typhoon

By Kanupriya Kapoor and Karen Lema

MANILA (Reuters) -Strong winds and high waves lashed the eastern Philippines on Monday as the strongest typhoon ever recorded in April barreled past in the Pacific Ocean, killing one man and triggering flooding in lower-lying communities, disaster officials said.

The national weather bureau issued a severe wind and heavy rainfall warning on Monday, saying “destructive typhoon-force winds extend outward up to 110 km (68.35 miles) from the center of the storm”.

More than 100,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas, according to provincial disaster agencies.

The core of Surigae, or Bising as the storm is known locally, is not expected to hit land. But with a diameter of 500 km and winds reaching 195 km per hour, parts of the eastern islands of Samar experienced flooding, while several communities lost power.

The first super typhoon of 2021 foreshadows a busy storm season for the region in the year ahead, experts say.

“Early indications are that the 2021 typhoon season will be at least average in activity, and possibly above average,” U.S. meteorologist Jeff Masters wrote in a post on Yale Climate Connections’ website, which reports daily on climate conditions.

Atmospheric scientists say data shows that storms, called typhoons, cyclones or hurricanes in different parts of the world, are getting stronger because of global warming.

“The fuel for these storms is warm oceans,” said Anne-Claire Fontan, a scientific officer at the World Meteorological Organization based in Geneva.

“The global trend is that they are getting stronger, and a higher percentage of total storms will be stronger.”

A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, allowing gale force winds to dump more rain. In particular, water temperature in the western Pacific Ocean is higher than the global average, making it fertile ground for mega storms like Surigae. The region sees more storms than any other part of the world, more than 70% of which develop at the peak of the season between July and October.

Disaster officials said a 79-year old man from Southern Leyte province in the Philippines was confirmed dead after he was hit by a fallen tree and one person was missing.

The Philippines sees around 20 tropical storms annually. Last year, the strongest typhoon of the year, Goni, hit the country with gusts of up to 310 km per hour, killing 25 people and forcing the evacuation of more than 345,000.

Taiwan, meanwhile, is hoping the storm brings much-needed rain to alleviate a drought, with people taking to social media to welcome it. However, it is expected to veer away from Taiwan out into the Pacific, bringing rain only to the northern part of the island later this week.

(Reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor in Singapore; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Susan Fenton)

Typhoon cuts power, lashes China with wind and rain before weakening

People wading through flooded street after Typhoon Meranti

BEIJING (Reuters) – Typhoon Meranti slammed into southeastern China on Thursday with strong winds and lashing rain that cut power to 1.65 million homes, but there were no reports of more casualties in what has been described as the strongest storm of the year globally.

The storm, registered as a super typhoon before losing strength after sweeping across southern Taiwan, made landfall in the early hours near the major city of Xiamen.

Dozens of flights and train services have been canceled, state television said, disrupting travel at the start of the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

Pictures on state media showed flooded streets, fallen trees and crushed cars in Xiamen as rescuers in boats evacuated people.

About 320,000 homes were without power in Xiamen. Across the whole of Fujian province, where Xiamen is located, 1.65 million homes had no electricity, state television said.

Large sections of Xiamen also suffered water supply disruptions and some windows in tall buildings shattered, sending glass showering onto the ground below, state news agency Xinhua said.

The report said it was the strongest typhoon to hit that part of the country since the founding of Communist China in 1949 and the strongest so far this year anywhere in the world.

Tens of thousands of people had already been evacuated as the storm approached and fishing boats called back to port.

One person died and 38 were injured in Taiwan, the Central Emergency Operation Centre there said, as the typhoon hit the southern part of the island on Wednesday.

Meranti was a Category 5 typhoon, the strongest classification awarded by Tropical Storm Risk storm tracker, before it made landfall on the mainland and has since been downgraded to Category 2.

Typhoons are common at this time of year, picking up strength as they cross the warm waters of the Pacific and bringing fierce winds and rain when they hit land.

Meranti will continue to lose strength as it pushes inland and up toward China’s commercial capital of Shanghai, but will bring heavy rain.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Faith Hung in TAIPEI; Editing by Nick Macfie and Paul Tait)

Nine dead in China as remnants of super typhoon Nepartak strike

Road heavily damaged by Typhoon Nepartak

BEIJING (Reuters) – Nine people were killed and 18 are missing after wind and driving rain bought by the remains of super typhoon Nepartak swept into China over the weekend, the government said on Monday.

The deaths were all in the southeastern province of Fujian, where the typhoon made landfall, the civil affairs ministry said in a statement on its website.

Total economic damage has been put at 900 million yuan ($134.60 million), with 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres) of crops destroyed and more than 900 houses wrecked, the ministry said.

In Taiwan, the storm caused at least three deaths and more than 300 injuries.

The storm is expected to worsen already severe flooding in parts of central and eastern China as its remnants slowly make their way inland.

Typhoons are common at this time of year in the South China Sea, picking up strength over warm waters and dissipating over land.

Typhoons used to kill many people in China but the government now enforces evacuations and takes precautions well in advance, which has helped save many lives.

($1 = 6.6864 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Taiwan, China batten down hatches as super typhoon approaches

Typhoon Nepartak

TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Taiwan and China began battening down the hatches on Thursday ahead of the arrival of super Typhoon Nepartak, the first of the year, with fears in China that storm could worsen already severe flooding in the east of the country.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s mountainous but sparsely populated east coast in the early hours of Friday, where it will loose much of its strength, before crossing over the Taiwan Strait and hitting China on Saturday.

The typhoon has been labeled a category 5 storm on a scale of 1 to 5 by Tropical Storm Risk making it a super typhoon but it should weaken to a topical storm by the time it reaches China.

In Taiwan, authorities announced financial markets would be shut on Friday as cities across the island, including Taipei, announced work and school closures. Airlines began cancelling flights and the bullet train service was suspended.

The island’s weather authorities estimated wind speeds near Nepartak’s center were at least 200 kph (124 mph).

Widespread flooding across central and southern China over the past week has killed about 130 people, damaged more than 1.9 million hectares of crops and led to direct economic losses of more than 38 billion yuan ($5.70 billion).

The city of Wuhan on the Yangtze River, home to 10 million people, has been particularly badly affected, with flooded subway lines and power cuts.

The typhoon is expected to push more rain into already flooded areas in and around Wuhan, the Xinhua news agency said.

Wuhan is a hub for the auto industry, though automakers including Honda <7267.T>, Nissan <7201.T> and state-owned Dongfeng <0489.HK> reported no disruptions.

Peugeot’s <PEUP.PA> venture there said it launched emergency contingency plans, including deploying a sewage pump truck, but factory operations were uninterrupted and its vehicle warehouse unaffected.

Fujian province, opposite Taiwan, has canceled all ferries to Taiwan and Taiwan-controlled islands, and suspended some trains, while Guangdong province has told fishing boats to return to port, the central government said on its website.

Typhoons are common at this time of year in the South China Sea, picking up strength over warm waters and dissipating over land.

Typhoons used to kill many people in China but the government now enforces evacuations and makes preparations well in advance meaning death tolls in recent years have been much lower.

In 2009, Typhoon Morakot cut a wide path of destruction over southern Taiwan, killing about 700 people and causing $3 billion worth of damage.

(Reporting by Taipei newsroom, Ben Blanchard and Jake Spring; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Super Typhoon Nepartak; Taiwan to take full brunt of storm

Typhoon Nepartak set to hit Taiwan and China

By Kami Klein

Until now the northwest Pacific has enjoyed the longest extended streak on record almost 200 days without a named storm.  But today, the first super typhoon of 2016 is set to hit Taiwan and China Thursday night into Friday, according to The Weather Channel.  

Considered a Category 5 equivalent tropical cyclone, with sustained winds at times of 175 mph, forecasters predict this to be the strongest Super Typhoon since Typhoon Soudelor in August of 2015. Soudelor  caused massive rains of up to 50 inches in the mountains, 3.6 million homes with no power, massive flooding, and mudslides. There were 40 confirmed deaths and hundreds injured.

According to local reports, Taiwan’s Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan was confident that Taiwan’s international airport would avoid flooding due to management having all water channels cleared of stones and dirt and water pumps ready.  Sandbags have also been placed.  Food prices have risen in anticipation of this dangerous storm.

USA Today reports that, Nepartak has seen gusts of up to 207 mph.  Taiwan’s military has mobilized thousands of troops and Premier Lin Chuan was briefed by emergency officials Wednesday morning.

A hurricane and typhoon are the same kinds of storms. West of the International Date Line these storms are called typhoons. A Super Typhoon is a storm where the sustained winds reach 150 mph.

For Taiwan, although the incredibly intense winds are dangerous, the concern for the public is mainly for flash flooding and mudslides which will threaten the most lives.

 

Super Typhoon Soudelor Heading For Taiwan

A storm that could prove to be the strongest of the year is bearing down on Taiwan.

Super Typhoon Soudelor is a category 5 storm, the strongest level for a storm.  The storm has been reported to have sustained winds of 160 m.p.h. and gusts of 180 m.p.h.

NASA has been tracking the storm and says that it is tracking toward northern Taiwan and mainland China.  They predict the storm will weaken before making the landfall sometime Thursday on Taiwan.

“There is growing concern that Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands will have to contend with Soudelor as early as Thursday night or Friday with impacts lasting into early next week across eastern China,” AccuWeather meteorologist Eric Leister said to the USA Today.

The storm already has caused major damage on the island of Saipan north of Guam.  The storm crossed the island as a Category 2 storm on Sunday night.  U.S. officials have been rushing relief supplies to Guam to take to Saipan.

Thousands of residents of Saipan are in shelters.

Super Typhoon Maysak Weakens

The Philippines are still on alert for the weakening once-Super Typhoon Maysak. Its course is still set to make landfall on Luzon Island this weekend.  Maysak will either be a tropical storm or on the verge of becoming one by the time it hits early Saturday.

This storm was at its peak intensity with 160 mph Category 5 Hurricane Winds on April 1st but is weakening slowly with strong wind shear as it makes its way to the Philippines.  Power Outages and flooding are still a concern with this storm through Sunday evening.

Once exiting the Philippines, Typhoon Maysak which by then should only be a tropical storm system is not expected to strengthen as it enters the China Sea.

Typhoon Vongfong Battering Japan

Typhoon Vongfong has roared into Japan leaving a trail of flooding, damage and death.

The storm struck the Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu prefects on Monday.  At least one person is missing and presumed dead and 61 people were injured in the initial waves of the storm.

The storm struck on the last day of a three-day holiday weekend.  The city of Shizuoka ordered 212,000 households making up over 506,000 people to leave ahead of the storm.

Railway service across the nation was suspended in preparation for the storm.

The storm is weakening rapidly as it moves across the nation; it had been downgraded to Tropical Storm status around noon eastern time.

Year’s Strongest Storm Bearing Down On Japan

The year’s most powerful storm is focusing on Okinawa.

Japan, which has been recovering from a strike from Typhoon Phanfone last week that dumped heavy rain and battered the country with high winds, is directly in the path of Typhoon Vongfong.

Vongfong is classified as a “Super Typhoon” and is over open water.  The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center says the storm has sustained winds of 179 miles per hour and gusts over 219 miles per hour.  Forecasts say the sustained winds will strengthen to 190 miles per hour at the storm’s peak.

Vongfong is the sixth “Super Typhoon” in the Pacific this year.  While the storm season has seen half the usual amount of storms, the number of Super Typhoons is double the season average.

Japanese officials are concerned about the storm striking so soon after Phanfone, which disrupted air and sea travel, led to the disappearance of two American soldiers and forced suspension of searches for bodies on Mount Ontake.

Typhoon Haiyan Death Toll Officially Tops 5,000

Philippine officials have officially risen the death toll from Typhoon Haiyan to over 5,000.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said that 4,919 people are confirmed dead in the Eastern Visayas region while a civil defense official released a statement adding an additional 290 confirmed dead in the central & southern parts of the country.

Roxas told reporters the situation in the country is beginning to stabilize, as relief workers are able to clear roads to more remote regions.

In addition to the cleared roads, officials say that banks, gas stations and stores are beginning to re-open in damaged regions.