Powerful Typhoon Nanmadol Is East of Okinawa

Powerful Typhoon Nanamadol was east of Okinawa on Friday night. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Typhoon Nanmadol was located at latitude 26.4°N and longitude 132.7°E which put it about 330 miles (530 km) east of Okinawa. Nanmadol was moving toward the northwest at 9 m.p.h. (15 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 150 m.p.h. (240 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 185 m.p.h. (295 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 926 mb.

Powerful Typhoon Nanmadol was churning over the Western North Pacific Ocean east of Okinawa on Friday night. A circular eye with a diameter of 23 miles (37 km) was present at the center of Nanmadol. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Typhoon Nanmadol. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the typhoon in all directions.

The size of the circulation around Typhoon Nanmadol increased on Friday when Nanmadol intensified. Winds to typhoon force extended out 100 miles (160 km) from the center of Nanmadol. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 260 miles (420 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Nanmadol was 31.6. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 28.0 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 59.6. Typhoon Nanmadol was capable of causing widespread severe damage.

Typhoon Nanmadol will move through an environment capable of supporting a powerful typhoon during the next 24 hours. Nanmadol will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29˚C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear. Typhoon Nanmadol could maintain much of its intensity during the next 24 hours. If the inner end of a rainband wraps around the existing eye and eyewall, then concentric eyewalls could form. That would be the start of an eyewall replacement cycle that would cause Nanmadol to weaken.

Typhoon Nanmadol will move around the southwestern part of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Nanmadol toward the northwest during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track the center of Typhoon Nanmadol will be east of Minami Daito Jima within 12 hours. Nanmadol could be east of Amami Oshima in 24 hours. Typhoon Nanmadol will bring strong, gusty winds and heavy rain to parts of the northern Ryukyu Islands during the weekend. Nanmadol could be near western Kyushu in 36 hours.