Typhoon In-fa remains a major threat in East Asia
This article was written by Justine CA.
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Typhoon In-fa maintained its strength as it barrels towards the Ryukyu Islands. It was last located at 23.4°N 125.7°E or 125 km south of Miyakojima, 155 km southeast of Ishigaki, 430 km east-southeast of Taipei, or 920 km southeast of Shanghai. After the eyewall replacement cycle, In-fa remained to be a Category 2-equivalent typhoon. Force Thirteen analysis has put it at winds of 10-minute winds of 150 kph (1-minute winds of 100 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 950 millibars. Gradual intensification into a Major Hurricane-equivalent Typhoon is still expected. Its movement is stationary.
CURRENT WARNINGS
Japan
Storm (Typhoon) Warning – Miyakojima, Yaeyama excluding Yonaguni
Gale Advisory – rest of Ryukyu islands including Yonaguni.
Daito islands, Kagoshima, Saga, and Nagasaki
Taiwan
Sea Typhoon Warning
Heavy Rain Warnings- Keelung City, Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Taichung City, and Yilan County
China
Blue Typhoon Warning
Coastal Fujian from Fuzhou County northward to coastal Zhejiang south of Hangzhou Bay
Philippines
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal #1
Batanes, Babuyan Islands
Officials warn the typhoon may bring winds strong enough to knock down houses. Evacuation orders have been issued in the cities of Miyakojima and Ishigaki as well as the town of Taketomi. Officials are advising people in the region to evacuate to strong buildings.
Officials are advising people in the region to evacuate to strong buildings. Other parts of China, including Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Fujian, are braced for the typhoon’s arrival and have warned of days of heavy rain and strong winds, but the particular circumstances that caused the intense rainfall in Zhengzhou are not expected to occur elsewhere.
Typhoon In-fa as well as Tropical Depression Cempaka that’s still inland are pulling the Southwest Monsoon bringing heavy rains toward Eastern Luzon.
FORECAST
Weather models are still expecting large amounts of rain to be dumped by In-fa on the Okinawa Islands, Taiwan, and China with some local areas expected to receive as much as 750 mm of rain (~30 inches.) Winds remain a major threat with gale winds extending for hundreds of kilometers away from the eye.
Latest Force Thirteen forecast cone expect In-fa to regain Major Hurricane-equivalent Typhoon with the second peak reaching 10-minute winds of 180 kph (1-minute winds of 120 mph) as it moves northwest for the next 60 hours. Then it’s expected to move northeast towards South Korea and Japan, still as a typhoon. The forecast cone remained highly uncertain due to the uncertainty on the Subtropical Ridge that’s determining the storm’s movement.
Force Thirteen advises people in East Asia to remain vigilant on the storm’s movement and do measures to mitigate any damage.
