Powerful Typhoon Dujuan Heads Toward Taiwan

Powerful Typhoon Dujuan turned west on Saturday and headed for Taiwan.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Typhoon Dujuan was located at latitude 22.3°N and longitude 127.0°E which put it about 380 miles (610 km) east-southeast of Taipei, Taiwan and about 300 miles (480 km) south of Okinawa.  Dujuan was moving toward the west at 9 m.p.h. (15 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 130 m.p.h. (210 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 160 m.p.h. (260 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 925 mb.

Dujuan continued to intensify on Saturday and it is a powerful well organized typhoon.  Dujuan has a large symmetrical eye which is surrounded by strong thunderstorms.  Upper level divergence is pumping out mass and the surface pressure is decreasing.  Dujuan is over warm Sea Surface Temperatures and there is not much vertical wind shear.  Further intensification is possible, although if concentric eyewalls form, it could disrupt the intensification trend.

An upper level ridge north of Dujuan steered the typhoon a little north of due west on Saturday.  That general motion is expected to continue for another day or two.  On its anticipated track Dujuan will pass near the southwestern Ryukyu Islands in about 24 hours.  It will approach Taiwan in about 30 hours and it could reach China in less than two days.  Dujuan is a large powerful typhoon and it will bring strong winds and heavy rain.  It could produce flooding in parts of Taiwan and eastern China.