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Typhoon Man-yi Intensifies to Equivalent of Cat. 5 Hurricane

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Typhoon Man-yi intensified to the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale on Saturday.  At 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday the center of Typhoon Man-yi was located at latitude 14.2°N and longitude 124.0°E which put the center about 80 miles (130 km) east of Labo, Philippines.  Man-yi was moving toward the northwest at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 160 m.p.h. (260 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 195 m.p.h. (315 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 921 mb.

Typhoon Man-yi intensified to the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane as it approached southeastern Luzon on Saturday.  The southwestern part of Man-yi’s eyewall passed over Catanduanes Island.

Typhoon Man-yi was very impressive on satellite images.  A circular eye with a diameter of 20 miles (32 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 large amounts of mass away from the typhoon in all directions. The removal of large quantities of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease rapidly.

The size of the circulation around Typhoon Man-yi increased when Man-yi intensified.  Winds to typhoon force extended out 45 miles (75 km) from the center of Man-yi’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 150 miles (240 km) from the center of Typhoon Man-yi.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Man-yi was 35.0.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 17.6 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 52.6.  Typhoon Man-yi was similar in intensity to Hurricane Michael when Michael hit Northwest Florida in 2018.  Man-yi was bigger than Michael was.

Typhoon Man-yi will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next few 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 could continue to intensify during the next few hours.  However, the fact that the southwestern part of Man-yi’s eyewall passed over Catanduanes Island could halt its intensification.

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 northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Typhoon Man-yi will reach southeastern Luzon in 12 hours.  The center of Man-yi’s circulation could make landfall northeast of Baler.

Typhoon Man-yi is already bringing destructive winds to Catanduanes Island.  Typhoon Man-yi will also 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 catastrophic damage.  Man-yi will seriously set back efforts to recover from the previous typhoons.

Elsewhere over the Western North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Depression Usagi was still dropping heavy rain on parts of Taiwan. At 4:00 a.m. EST on Saturday the center of Tropical Depression Usagi was located at latitude 22.3°N and longitude 120.7°E which put the center about 35 miles (55 km) south of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  Usagi was moving toward the southeast at 4 m.p.h. (6 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 30 m.p.h. (50 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1006 mb.  Continued heavy rain is likely to cause flash floods in Taiwan.

Typhoon Man-Yi Strengthens to Equivalent of a Major Hurricane

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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.

Man-yi Strengthens to a Typhoon East of the Philippines

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Former Tropical Storm Man-yi strengthened to a typhoon east of the Philippines on Thursday.  At 10:00 p.m. EST on Thursday the center of Typhoon Man-yi was located at latitude 10.7°N and longitude 131.3°E which put the center about 795 miles (1280 km) east-southeast of Manila, Philippines.  Man-yi was moving toward the west at 18 m.p.h. (30 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 976 mb.

Former Tropical Storm Man-yi strengthened to a typhoon over the Western North Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines on Thursday.  The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the center of Man-yi’s circulation.  A circular eye with a diameter of 23 miles (37 km) formed at the center of Typhoon Man-yi.  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 upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the typhoon.  The removal of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease.

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 will intensify during the next 24 hours.  Man-yi could intensify rapidly.  Typhoon Man-yi is likely to strengthen to the equivalent of a major hurricane.

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 move toward Luzon.  Man-yi could approach Luzon in 36 hours.

Elsewhere over the Western North Pacific Ocean, Typhoon Usagi moved toward Taiwan.  At 10:00 p.m. EST on Thursday the center of Typhoon Usagi was located at latitude 20.2°N and longitude 120.2°E which put the center about 145 miles (235 km) south of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  Usagi was moving toward the north-northwest at 9 m.p.h. (15 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 977 mb.

Tropical Storm Kong-rey Moves Over East China Sea

Tropical Storm Kong-rey moved over the East China Sea on Thursday night.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Tropical Storm Kong-rey was located at latitude 27.3°N and longitude 121.2°E which put the center about 75 miles (120 km) southeast of Wenzhou, China.  Kong-rey was moving toward the north-northeast at 18 m.p.h. (30 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 983 mb.

Former Typhoon Kong-rey weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across Taiwan on Thursday.  The mountains in Taiwan significantly disrupted the circulation in the lower levels of Kong-rey.  The circulation in the middle and upper levels of Tropical Storm Kong-rey remained more intact.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were occurring in the eastern side of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Bands in the western side of Tropical Storm Kong-rey consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.

The circulation around Tropical Storm Kong-rey was still large.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 200 miles (320 km) from the center Kong-rey.

Tropical Storm Kong-rey will move through an environment unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kong-rey will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 25°C.  An upper level trough over eastern China will produce southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Those winds will cause strong vertical wind shear.  In addition, the western side of Tropical Storm Kong-rey will pull drier air over Asia into the tropical storm.  Cooler water, strong vertical wind shear, and drier air will cause Kong-rey to continue to weaken during the next 24 hours.  The cooler water and strong wind shear will cause Tropical Storm Kong-rey to make a transition to an extratropical cyclone on Friday.

The upper level trough will steer Tropical Storm Kong-rey toward the northeast during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, the center of Kong-rey will move near the coast of Zhejiang during the next 24 hours.  Tropical Storm Kong-rey could approach western Kyushu in 24 hours.

Bands in the western side of Tropical Storm Kong-rey will bring strong winds and locally heavy rain to coastal parts of Zhejiang on Friday.  Kong-rey could bring gusty winds and locally heavy rain to western Japan on Saturday.

Typhoon Kong-rey Brings Wind and Rain to Taiwan

Typhoon Kong-rey brought strong winds and heavy rain to Taiwan on Thursday.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Typhoon Kong-rey was located at latitude 23.6°N and longitude 121.1°E which put the center about 25 miles (40 km) south of Hualien, Taiwan.  Kong-rey was moving toward the northwest at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 115 m.p.h. (185 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 145 m.p.h. (235 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 947 mb.

The center of Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall on the east coast of Taiwan south of Hualien early on Thursday.  Kong-rey was the equivalent of a major hurricane at the time of landfall.  Winds to typhoon force extended out 90 miles (145 km) from the center of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 290 miles (465 km) from the center of Typhoon Kong-rey.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Kong-rey was 20.1.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 30.8 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 50.9.  Typhoon Kong-rey was similar in size and intensity to Hurricane Ike when Ike hit Texas in 2008.

Typhoon Kong-rey was producing strong winds over much of Taiwan.  Those winds were capable of causing major damage.  Kong-rey was also dropping heavy rain over much of Taiwan.  The heavy rain in likely to cause flash floods in many locations.

Typhoon Kong-rey will move around the western end of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Kong-rey toward the north-northwest during the next 12 hours.  An upper level trough over eastern China will turn Kong-rey toward the north-northeast on Friday.  On its anticipated track, Typhoon Kong-rey will move across Taiwan during the next few hours.  Kong-rey will move over the East China Sea and it will approach the east coast of China in 18 hours.

Typhoon Kong-rey will weaken today as it moves across Taiwan.  Kong-rey is unlikely to intensify when it moves over the East China Sea.  Kong-rey will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  However, the upper level trough over eastern China will produce southwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Those winds will cause the vertical wind shear to increase.  More vertical wind shear will cause Kong-rey to continue to weaken after it moves over the East China Sea.

Bands on the western side of Typhoon Kong-rey will bring strong winds and heavy rain to the east coast of China.  Strong winds and locally heavy rain will affect coastal regions in Fujian and Zhejiang.

 

Typhoon Kong-rey Approaches Taiwan

Typhoon Kong-rey was approaching Taiwan on Wednesday morning.  At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Typhoon Kong-rey was located at latitude 20.8°N and longitude 123.2°E which put the center about 350 miles (565 km) south-southeast of Taipei, Taiwan.  Kong-rey was moving toward the northwest at 9 m.p.h. (15 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 140 m.p.h. (2225 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 165 m.p.h. (265 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 934 mb.

Typhoon Kong-rey went through an eyewall replacement cycle during the past 18 hours.  The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the existing eye and eyewall.  Concentric eyewalls formed.  The inner eyewall had a diameter of 25 miles (40 km).  The outer eyewall had a diameter of 175 miles (285 km).  The inner eyewall started to weaken after the outer eyewall formed.  Typhoon Kong-rey weakened a little after the eyewall replacement cycle began

A large eye with a diameter of 175 miles (285 km) was at the center of Kong-rey’s circulation.  A ring of thunderstorms surrounded the large eye and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Typhoon Kong-rey.  Storms near the core of Kong-rey’ circulation generated strong upper level divergence that pumped large quantities of mass away from the typhoon.  The removal of large amounts of mass in the upper levels was nearly equal to the large quantities of mass flowing into the center of Typhoon Kong-rey in the lower levels of the atmosphere.  The near balance of upper level divergence and lower level convergence of mass caused the surface pressure to increase very gradually.

The eyewall replacement cycle caused the circulation around Typhoon Kong-rey to increase in size.  Winds to typhoon force extended out 120 miles (195 km) from the center of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 260 miles (420 km) from the center of Typhoon Kong-rey.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Kong-rey was 28.3.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 42.0 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 70.3.  Typhoon Kong-rey was bigger and stronger than Hurricane Ivan was when Ivan made landfall on the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico in 2004.

Typhoon Kong-rey will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 12 hours.  Kong-rey will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move under the axis of an upper level ridge over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level winds are weak near the axis of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Typhoon Kong-rey could intensify during the next 12 hours if the large eye starts to contract.

Typhoon Kong-rey will move around the southern part of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Kong-rey toward the northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Typhoon Kong-rey will reach Taiwan in 18 hours.

Typhoon Kong-rey is likely to be the equivalent of a major hurricane when it reaches Taiwan.  Kong-rey will bring strong, gusty winds and heavy rain to Taiwan.  Heavy rain will cause flash floods.  Typhoon Kong-rey could also cause a storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meter)s along the east coast of Taiwan.  Typhoon Kong-rey will be capable of causing extensive major damage in Taiwan.

Typhoon Kong-rey Rapidly Intensifies to Equivalent of a Major Hurricane

Typhoon Kong-rey rapidly intensified to the equivalent of a major hurricane over the Western North Pacific Ocean southeast of Taiwan on Tuesday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Typhoon Kong-rey was located at latitude 19.0°N and longitude 125.2°E which put the center about 505 miles (815 km) south-southeast of Taipei, Taiwan.  Kong-rey was moving toward the northwest at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 145 m.p.h. (230 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 175 m.p.h. (280 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 931 mb.

Typhoon Kong-rey rapidly intensified to the equivalent of a major hurricane on Tuesday.  A circular eye with a diameter of 35 miles (55 km) formed at the center of Kong-rey’s circulation.  A ring of thunderstorms surrounded the eye and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Typhoon Kong-rey.  Storms near the core of Kong-rey’ circulation generated strong upper level divergence that pumped large quantities of mass away from the typhoon.  The removal of large amounts of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease rapidly.

The circulation around Typhoon Kong-rey was large.  Winds to typhoon force extended out 90 miles (145 km) from the center of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 260 miles (415 km) from the center of Typhoon Kong-rey.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Kong-rey was 29.9.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 34.1 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 64.0.  Typhoon Kong-rey was capable of causing extensive severe damage.

Typhoon Kong-rey will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kong-rey will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move under the axis of an upper level ridge over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level winds are weak near the axis of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Typhoon Kong-rey will intensify during the next 24 hours unless an eyewall replacement cycle occurs.  If the inner end of a rainband wraps around the existing eye and eyewall, then an eyewall replacement cycle could cause Kong-rey to weaken.   If an eyewall replacement cycle does not occur, then Typhoon Kong-rey could intensify to the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

Typhoon Kong-rey will move around the southern part of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Kong-rey toward the northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Typhoon Kong-rey will reach Taiwan in 36 hours.

Typhoon Kong-rey is likely to be the equivalent of a major hurricane when it reaches Taiwan.  Kong-rey will bring strong, gusty winds and heavy rain to Taiwan.  Heavy rain will cause flash floods.  Typhoon Kong-rey will be capable of causing major damage in Taiwan.

Kong-rey Strengthens to a Typhoon Southeast of Taiwan

Former Tropical Storm Kong-rey strengthened to a typhoon over the Western North Pacific Ocean southeast of Taiwan on Monday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Monday the center of Typhoon Kong-rey was located at latitude 17.4°N and longitude 127.6°E which put the center about 690 miles (1115 km) southeast of Taipei, Taiwan.  Kong-rey was moving toward the northwest at 8 m.p.h. (13 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 979 mb.

Former Tropical Storm Kong-rey strengthened to a typhoon on Monday.  The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the center of Kong-rey’s circulation.  A circular eye was starting to form at the center of Typhoon Kong-rey.  A ring of thunderstorms surrounded the developing eye and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Storms near the core of Kong-rey generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the typhoon.  The removal of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease.

The size of the circulation around Typhoon Kong-rey increased as Kong-rey strengthened.  Winds to typhoon force extended out 105 miles (165 km) on the south side of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 230 miles (370 km) from the center of Typhoon Kong-rey.

Typhoon Kong-rey will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Kong-rey will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move under the southern part of an upper level ridge over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The upper level ridge will produce northeasterly winds that will blow toward the top of Kong-rey’s circulation.  Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear, but the wind shear will not be enough to prevent intensification.  Typhoon Kong-rey will intensify during the next 24 hours.  Kong-rey could strengthen to the equivalent of a major hurricane.

Typhoon Kong-rey will move around the southern part of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Kong-rey toward the northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Typhoon Kong-rey will move closer to Taiwan.  Kong-rey could reach Taiwan later this week.  Typhoon Kong-rey could be the equivalent of a major hurricane when it reaches Taiwan,

Tropical Storm Trami Makes Landfall in Vietnam

Tropical Storm Trami made landfall on the coast of Vietnam early on Sunday.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Trami was located at latitude 16.0°N and longitude 107.7°E which put the center about 35 miles (55 km) west-northwest of Da Nang, Vietnam.  Trami was moving toward the southwest at 8 m.p.h. (13 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 996 mb.

The center of Tropical Storm Trami made landfall on the coast of Vietnam near Da Nang early on Sunday.  Trami was a relatively small tropical storm at the time of landfall.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 80 miles (130 km) from the center of Trami’s circulation.

Tropical Storm Trami will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over eastern China.  The high pressure system will steer Trami toward the southwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, the center of Tropical Storm Trami will move inland over Southeast Asia.

Tropical Storm Trami will bring gusty winds and locally heavy rain to central Vietnam, southern Laos, northern Cambodia and northeastern Thailand.  Heavy rain is likely to cause floods in some locations.

Elsewhere over the Western North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Kong-rey started to strengthen southeast of Taiwan.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday the center of Tropical Storm Kong-rey was located at latitude 16.3°N and longitude 131.6°E which put the center about 680 miles (1095 km) southeast of Taipei, Taiwan.  Kong-rey was moving toward the west at 13 m.p.h. (20 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 994 mb.

Tropical Storm Trami Approaches Vietnam

Tropical Storm Trami approached the coast of Vietnam on Saturday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Trami was located at latitude 16.9°N and longitude 109.5°E which put the center about 165 miles (265 km) northeast of Da Nang, Vietnam.  Trami was moving toward the west at 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 985 mb.

Tropical Storm Trami was weakening as it approached the coast of Vietnam on Saturday.  Trami was moving under the southern part of an upper level ridge over eastern China.  The upper level ridge was producing easterly winds that were blowing toward the top of Trami’s circulation.  Those winds were causing moderate vertical wind shear and the wind shear was causing Tropical Storm Trami to weaken gradually.

The upper level winds were also causing the distribution of thunderstorms in Tropical Storm Trami to be asymmetrical.  Thunderstorms were occurring in bands in the western side of Trami’s circulation.  The bands in the eastern side of Tropical Storm Trami consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.

Despite the moderate vertical wind shear, the distribution of wind speeds in Tropical Storm Trami was still fairly symmetrical.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 150 miles (240 km) from the center of Trami’s circulation.

Tropical Storm Trami will move through an environment unfavorable for intensification.  Trami will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  However, the upper level ridge over eastern China will continue to cause moderate vertical wind shear.  The wind shear will prevent intensification of Tropical Storm Trami.  Trami is likely to continue to weaken gradually during the next 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Trami will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over eastern China.  The high pressure system will steer Trami toward the west-southwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, the center of Tropical Storm Trami will make landfall on the coast of Vietnam north of Da Nang in about 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Trami will bring strong winds and heavy rain to central Vietnam.  Heavy rain is likely to cause floods in some locations.

Elsewhere over the Western North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Kong-rey was spinning southeast of Taiwan.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Kong-rey was located at latitude 16.7°N and longitude 134.0°E which put the center about 830 miles (1335 km) southeast of Taipei, Taiwan.  Kong-rey was moving toward the west at 14 m.p.h. (22 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 990 mb.