PDA

View Full Version : Super Typhoon Usagi



The Stig
09-21-2013, 09:21 PM
Original story HERE (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323308504579088212592404226.html?m od=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird) at WSJ



Hong Kong Braces for Super Typhoon Usagi
Storm Is Packing Maximum Sustained Winds of 121 Miles an Hour

By
ISABELLA STEGER
CONNECT

HONG KONG—Super Typhoon Usagi continued to make its way toward Hong Kong and China's southern Guangdong province on Saturday, as it swept toward the South China Sea with strong winds and heavy rain battering parts of Taiwan and the Philippines.

An infrared satellite image taken early Saturday Hong Kong time showed Super Typhoon Usagi between the Philippines and Taiwan, heading for Hong Kong and south China at 19 kilometers (12 miles) an hour.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. 0293.HK -0.13% and its Dragonair unit will halt operations in the city starting Sunday evening, the airline said, with plans "to gradually resume services on Monday when weather conditions permit." Hong Kong Airlines and its Hong Kong Express Airways unit likewise canceled Sunday flights scheduled to take off after 6 p.m. Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co., which operates ferries between Hong Kong and mainland China, also announced service suspensions.

The travel disruptions come during a particularly busy time in the region, with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan all on long weekends for the Mid-Autumn Festival, while South Korea marks the Chuseok holiday. China officially returns to work on Sunday, so many mainland visitors to Hong Kong will be returning home Saturday—ahead of most of the flight and ferry cancellations.

A woman and child held their umbrellas tight against powerful gusts of wind as Super Typhoon Usagi approached in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday.

At 7 p.m. local time Saturday, the Hong Kong Observatory said Usagi, one of the strongest storms in the region this year, was about 610 kilometers (379 miles) east-southeast of Hong Kong. Earlier it put maximum sustained winds near the center of the storm at 195 kilometers (121 miles) an hour.

The observatory issued the No. 1 (standby) signal for Hong Kong at 10:40 a.m. local time and expected to upgrade the warning to No. 3 (strong wind) Saturday night. It said Usagi will come "rather close" Sunday and Monday and "pose a severe threat to Hong Kong."

But for Saturday, the observatory warning in effect was for very hot weather. Under hazy sunshine, the air calm, it was business as usual in Hong Kong. The stores in Tsim Sha Tsui weren't yet taking storm precautions, and they reported no impact on shopping.


In the Philippines, which on Friday raised the storm warning to the highest level for the first time since 2010, the typhoon made landfall in the country's northern tip early Saturday, causing flooding and landslides in the mountainous provinces and knocking out power in the area. Winds increased to 215 kilometers an hour with gusts of up to 250 kilometers an hour, according to the government's weather agency.

It said that Usagi, also known as Odette in the Philippines, had intensified and was "in the vicinity" of the Batanes group of islands in the Luzon Strait, which separates the northern Philippines from southern Taiwan.

The governor of Batanes, Vicente Cato, said in a radio interview Saturday that power was down, making communications more difficult.

Taiwan issued typhoon warnings and heavy-rain advisories Saturday morning for a number of counties in the southern part of the island and along the east coast. Schools and businesses were closed in a dozen counties and cities, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. The military has mobilized 23,000 servicemen for disaster relief.

Nearly 2,500 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas and remote mountainous regions as the government deployed military personnel into potential disaster zones, the Associated Press reported. In 13 hours the storm system dumped more than 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain along Taiwan's eastern and southern coasts, with officials warning the total could hit 1,000 millimeters, according to AP. Landslides blocked some mountain highways.
Superstorm Me

China on Saturday upgraded its storm warning to the highest of its four levels, "red," according to the official Xinhua news agency. Xinhua reported Friday that more than 20,000 fishing boats operating out of Fujian province, which borders Guangdong, had returned to port to seek shelter.


Dragonair had already canceled one flight on Saturday from Taichung, in Taiwan, to Hong Kong. Dragonair and its parent Cathay Pacific warned against nonessential travel on Sunday and Monday. Hong Kong International Airport said it was advising passengers departing the city to check flight information with their airlines or on the airport's website (hongkongairport.com).

—Cris Larano in Manila and Dean Napolitano in Hong Kong contributed to this article.

I don't think we have any colony members in that part of the world, but if one of our lurkers checks in from there good luck and stay safe.

The Stig
09-22-2013, 08:26 PM
Original story HERE (http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/typhoon-usagi-threatens-taiwan-hong-kong-20130919) at The Weather Channel



Tropical Storm Usagi Rapidly Weakening Over China; Hong Kong Avoids Worst Case Scenario

Published: Sep 22, 2013, 3:50 PM EDT weather.com

Tropical Storm Usagi is rapidly weakening as it grinds westward across China's Guangdong Province, north of Hong Kong and the major cities of the Pearl River Delta.

Usagi made landfall as a typhoon in China's Guangdong Province in the city of Shanwei, about 90 miles east-northeast of Kowloon, Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 119 mph at Shanwei around the time of landfall, and the barometric pressure plunged to about 940 millibars (27.8 inches of mercury). Chinese weather authorities said landfall occurred at 7:40 p.m. local time (7:40 a.m. EDT U.S. time) on Sunday.

According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, as of 3:15 a.m. Hong Kong time Monday (3:15 p.m. EDT Sunday U.S. time), Usagi was centered near Dongguan City, Guangdong, or 60 miles north-northwest of Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is moving toward the west at 16 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds are estimated at 65 mph.

Usagi will continue to track toward the west to west-northwest after making its closest approach to Hong Kong around midnight Sunday night (noon EDT Sunday U.S. time). This will take the storm into western portions of Guangdong on Monday.

The storm has already dumped more than a foot of rain in parts of Taiwan and is blamed for the deaths of two people in The Philippines.

Latest IR Satellite Image


A tropical cyclone is dubbed a "super typhoon" when maximum sustained winds reach at least 150 mph. Usagi underwent a period of rapid intensification from early Wednesday through midday Thursday (U.S. Eastern time), going from a 55-knot (65-mph) tropical storm to a 140-knot (160-mph) super typhoon in just 33 hours, or just under a 100 mph intensification, based on satellite estimates of intensity.

By Friday night, though, Usagi underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, causing the storm to weaken slightly. In addition, the outer rain bands began to interact with Taiwan and Luzon, disrupting the storm's low-level inflow, further weakening the storm.

On Saturday, animated multi-spectral satellite imagery indicated a resurgence in the storm's eyewall development, but the typhoon was never able to regain its former power before making landfall.

Here are the impacts by location for Usagi:
Hong Kong

Airlines Cathay Pacific and Dragonair announced Saturday they would halt all flights in and out of Hong Kong from 6 p.m. Sunday.
A sustained wind of 56 mph (90 km/h) and a wind gust of 76 mph (123 km/h) was reported at Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, at 9 p.m. Sunday local time.
Winds are starting to subside in parts of Hong Kong and the barometric pressure is beginning to increase as the typhoon weakens and moves away.
Impacts: Tropical storm force winds of 40 to 70 mph are occurring in some areas, along with hurricane-force gusts. Hong Kong's complex terrain and numerous skyscrapers are causing winds to be higher in some places and lower in others. Periods of heavy rain will occur as well.
Tides peaked at 1 to 2 feet above normal levels but are now subsiding.
Local forecast: Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world, with over 7.1 million residents, as of a 2012 estimate.
China

Guangdong Province, where landfall occurred, is taking the brunt of Usagi's impact. The population of Guangdong is about 105 million, making it the third most populous province or state in the world (the top two are in India).
A station pressure of 938.9 millibars, or about 940 millibars at sea level, was measured near the point of landfall in the city of Shanwei at 8 p.m. Hong Kong time Sunday. Winds gusted to 119 mph. Shanwei is a coastal city of over 2 million people.
China's government weather agency is forecasting 4 to 10 inches of rainfall across much of Guangdong Province along the path of Usagi.
Significant storm surge has been reported around the city of Shantou, east of where Usagi made landfall, due to the large area of onshore winds on the right side of Usagi's circulation.
Local forecast: Guangzhou

Earlier in Usagi's path:
Taiwan

The center of Usagi passed south of the southern tip of Taiwan.
Impacts: Surge flooding/battering waves (eastern coast especially) and flooding rain/mudslides (central, eastern Taiwan).
More than a foot of rain fell in some locations as Usagi passed by.
Local forecast: Taipei

Northern Philippines

The center of Usagi passed north of the north coast of Luzon on Saturday, local time.
The Batanes Islands, in the extreme northern Philippines north of Luzon, took a direct hit. Basco Airport reported a sustained wind of 112 mph, then went nearly calm as the eye passed overhead and the pressure dropped to 930 millibars.
Local forecast: Manila