Taiwan: Typhoon Gaemi Intensifies into Super-Typhoon

As Typhoon Gaemi approached Taiwan, it escalated into a super-typhoon before making landfall near the city of Hualien and officials say it could be the most powerful storm to hit the island in eight years.

Published 3 months ago

Extremely Powerful Tropical Cyclone

A super-typhoon is an extremely powerful tropical cyclone in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, distinguished by sustained wind speeds of at least 150 miles per hour (241 kilometres per hour), , the equivalent of a category four hurricane in terms of wind strength and destructive potential.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) uses this classification, placing super-typhoons on par with the most intense hurricanes in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, specifically Category 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Severe Wind, Rain and Flooding

Typhoon Gaemi made landfall on Taiwan’s east coast with wind gusts of around 240km /(150mph.  Authorities are warning one of biggest risks comes from the typhoon’s potential to cause landslides and flash flooding, especially on mountainsides already destabilised by a large earthquake that hit the country in April 2024.

Flights were cancelled and schools and offices closed ahead of the storm’s expected landfall and  already, a number of fatalities and injuries have been attributed to the advancing storm.

Flooding and Fatalities in the Philippines

Typhoon Gaemi had already caused a number of fatalities in the Philippines on its way past the country, adding to flooding and landslides from already high monsoon rainfall. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in the worst affected areas.

Intense rains for China

Typhoon Gaemi is also expected to bring heavy to very intense rains over vast swathes of China which are expected to last for a week, fuelled by the typhoon’s abundant moisture.   China’s National Meteorological Centre has issued a red alert, the highest level, according to Xinhua.

Loop-de-Loop

Metereologists have also expressed amazement after Typhoon Gaemi did a bizarre loop-de-loop that meant Taiwan’s east coast was hammered by the storm’s intense inner core twice.

…………………………………

Related News:

…………………………………

Related Links:

…………………………………

Find out all news, reports, links and comments posted on Noonsite, plus cruising information from around the world, by subscribing to our FREE monthly newsletter. Go to https://www.noonsite.com/newsletter/.

Read and Post Related Comments

Related to the following Cruising Resources: ,


You must Login or Register to submit comments.