Soudelor is strongest typhoon of 2015, spinning toward Okinawa, Taiwan and China

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http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/western-pacific/2015/hurricane-Soudelor





http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/08/03/super-typhoon-soudelor-devastates-saipan-spins-toward-okinawa-taiwan-and-china/
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Since clearing Saipan, Super Typhoon Soudelor has grown in size and intensity, rocketing from a category 2 to 4 in just 12 hours — a period of rapid intensification common in small storms amid very favorable environments. Sea surface temperature is more than warm enough to support a very strong storm, and wind shear, which acts to weaken typhoons and hurricanes, is low.

Super Typhoon Soudelor reached the equivalent of category 5 hurricane status on Monday afternoon, eastern time, with sustained winds of 178 mph. Soudelor is now the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth since Super Typhoon Hagupit in December 2014, which also peaked with winds of 180 mph.