Typhoon Surigae Spins East of the Philippines

Typhoon Surigae spun east of the Philippines on Sunday. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Typhoon Surigae was located at latitude 14.2°N and longitude 126.4°E which put it about 260 miles (420 km) east of Daet, Philippines. Surigae was moving toward the northwest at 6 m.p.h. (10 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 140 m.p.h. (225 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 165 m.p.h. (275 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 934 mb.

An eyewall replacement cycle was underway in the core of Typhoon Surigae and the typhoon was weakening. The inner part of a rainband wrapped around the original eye and eyewall and a much larger outer eyewall formed. The low level winds converged into the outer eyewall and the inner eyewall weakened. The fastest wind speeds were in the inner eyewall. So, the maximum wind speed decreased when the inner eyewall weakened. There were still remnants of the original inner eyewall inside the outer eyewall, but the strongest wind speeds were occurring in the outer eyewall.

Typhoon Surigae was still large and powerful. Winds to typhoon force extended out 60 miles (95 km) from the center of Surigae. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 195 miles (315 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Surigae was 28.3. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 16.9 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 45.2.

Typhoon Surigae will move through an environment capable of supporting a powerful typhoon during the next 24 hours. Surigae will be over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures will be near 29°C. It will move under the western part of an upper level ridge over the Western North Pacific Ocean. The ridge will produce southerly winds which will blow toward the top of the circulation. However, the winds at lower levels in the atmosphere will also blow from the south and there will be little vertical wind shear. Typhoon Surigae will likely weaken gradually as the eyewall replacement cycle is completed.

Typhoon Surigae will move around the western end of a subtropical high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean during the next 48 hours. The high will steer Surigae toward the north-northwest during the next 48 hours. After that time Typhoon Surigae will approach the westerly winds in the middle latitudes. Those winds will turn Surigae toward the northeast. On its anticipated track, the core Typhoon Surigae with the strongest winds will remain east of Luzon.