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The western Pacific storm Haiyan has intensified without interruption since Sunday and is now a dangerous Category 5 super typhoon, with maximum sustained winds exceeding 160 mph. It is on a path due west, and landfall Friday in the central Philippines is inevitable.
Haiyan – known as Yolanda in the Philippines – is likely the strongest storm to form on the planet this year.
“Based on satellite imagery, [Haiyan's] the strongest storm I’ve seen since Bopha (2012),” says Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with WeatherBell Analytics.
Super typhoon Bopha, whose peak winds reached 175 mph, caused hundreds of fatalities on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao in December 2012.
Maue says it’s possible Haiyan’s maximum sustained winds have reached 180 mph.
“[The] system has developed to almost max intensity for a cyclone,” notes a NOAA bulletin.
Officially, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts additional strengthening over the next day, but with the storm near its theoretical maximum strength – it’s more likely it has leveled off. As it continues westward over the Philippine Sea, its inner core may re-organize through what’s known as an eyewall replacement cycle, which would briefly weaken the storm. But water temperatures are very warm along Haiyan’s path, so significant weakening is unlikely.
SST 29-30?C + deep ocean heat content means #Haiyan will remain Super Typhoon until landfall
http://pic.twitter.com/Ld7XryZEBN
Haiyan – known as Yolanda in the Philippines – is likely the strongest storm to form on the planet this year.
“Based on satellite imagery, [Haiyan's] the strongest storm I’ve seen since Bopha (2012),” says Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with WeatherBell Analytics.
Super typhoon Bopha, whose peak winds reached 175 mph, caused hundreds of fatalities on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao in December 2012.
Maue says it’s possible Haiyan’s maximum sustained winds have reached 180 mph.
“[The] system has developed to almost max intensity for a cyclone,” notes a NOAA bulletin.
Officially, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts additional strengthening over the next day, but with the storm near its theoretical maximum strength – it’s more likely it has leveled off. As it continues westward over the Philippine Sea, its inner core may re-organize through what’s known as an eyewall replacement cycle, which would briefly weaken the storm. But water temperatures are very warm along Haiyan’s path, so significant weakening is unlikely.
SST 29-30?C + deep ocean heat content means #Haiyan will remain Super Typhoon until landfall
http://pic.twitter.com/Ld7XryZEBN
