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.