Typhoon Nuri intensified rapidly and it has now reached Super Typhoon status.  At 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday the center of Nuri was located at latitude 17.9°N and longitude 132.3°E which put it about 650 miles south-southeast of Okinawa.  Nuri was moving toward the north-northwest at 8 m.p.h.  The maximum sustained wind speed was estimated to be 175 m.p.h. which made Nuri the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

Nuri is moving around the western end of a subtropical ridge.   It is anticipated that the upper level westerly winds in the middle latitudes will begin to turn Nuri more toward the northeast over the next few days.  The guidance from numerical models suggest that Nuri will pass southeast of Japan during the middle of next week.

Nuri has been over warm Sea Surface Temperatures and in an area where the upper level winds are light.  It has well developed outflow and the energy from the ocean has allowed it to strengthen rapidly.  It is possible that Nuri become a little stronger during the next few hours.  Once Nuri moves farther north, the upper level westerly winds will increase the wind shear and inhibit outflow on the western side of the circulation.  Those factors will put Nuri on a weakening trend that will continue until it makes a transformation into an extratropical cyclone as it passes south of Japan.