A very favorable environment of warm Sea Surface Temperatures and light upper level winds is allowing Typhoon Phanfone to intensify rapidly.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Phanfone was located at latitude 19.5°N and longitude 139.0°E which put it about 400 miles south-southwest of Iwo To.  Phanfone was moving toward the west-northwest at 17 m.p.h.  It had maximum sustained winds of 120 m.p.h. and gusts to 150 m.p.h.

Phanfone is moving around the western end of the subtropical high pressure system and its track should take a more northward turn.  When Phanfone gets to a higher latitude, it will encounter the upper level westerly flow which will turn it northeastward.  Guidance from numerical models suggest that Phanfone could be south of Japan in about 72 hours.

Phanfone will be in a favorable environment during the next 36 hours and further intensification is possible.  When Phanfone encounters the upper level westerly flow, wind shear will increase and it will start to weaken.  Phanfone will eventually make a transition to an extratropical cyclone as it moves northeastward over the North Pacific.