Typhoon Man-yi strengthened to the equivalent of a major hurricane as it moved toward the Philippines on Friday. At 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday the center of Typhoon Man-yi was located at latitude 12.3°N and longitude 127.2°E which put the center about 490 miles (790 km) east-southeast of Manila, Philippines. Man-yi was moving toward the west-northwest at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 155 m.p.h. (250 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 952 mb.
Typhoon Man-yi intensified to the equivalent of a major hurricane on Friday. A circular eye with a diameter of 25 miles (40 km) was at the center of Man-yi’s circulation. The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Man-yi’s circulation. Storms near the center of Man-yi generated strong upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the typhoon in all directions. The removal of large quantities of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease rapidly.
The circulation around Typhoon Man-yi was very symmetrical. Winds to typhoon force extended out 30 miles (50 km) from the center of Man-yi’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 125 miles (200 km) from the center of Typhoon Man-yi.
The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Man-yi was 23.6. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 10.3 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 33.9. Typhoon Man-yi was similar in size and intensity to Hurricane Dennis when Dennis hit Northwest Florida in 2005.
Typhoon Man-yi will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Man-yi will move over water where where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C. It will move under the middle of an upper level ridge over the Western North Pacific Ocean. The upper level winds are weak near the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear. Typhoon Man-yi is likely to continue to intensify during the next 24 hours.
Typhoon Man-yi will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Man-yi toward the west-northwest during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track, Typhoon Man-yi will reach southeastern Luzon in less than 18 hours.
Typhoon Man-yi will bring very strong winds and heavy rain to Luzon. Heavy rain will cause flash floods and mudslides. Man-yi could also cause a storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) along the coast of Luzon. Luzon has already been hit by a series of in recent weeks. Typhoon Man-yi is capable of causing regional major damage. Man-yi will seriously set back efforts to recover from the previous typhoons.
Elsewhere over the Western North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Usagi was bringing wind and rain to Taiwan. At 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday the center of Tropical Storm Usagi was located at latitude 22.5°N and longitude 120.3°E which put the center about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Usagi was moving toward the north-northeast at 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 998 mb. Heavy rain is likely to cause flash floods in Taiwan.