Usagi takes aim at Hong Kong

[pscot]

Figure 1. MODIS satellite image of Typhoon Usagi, taken at approximately 04:30 UTC on September 21, 2013. At the time, Usagi was a Category 4 typhoon with 140 mph winds. Image credit: NASA.

By Dr. Jeff Masters

Published: 4:25 PM GMT on September 21, 2013

Dangerous Category 3 Typhoon Usagi is charging through the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines on its way towards China, where landfall is expected early Monday morning local time (near 2 pm EDT on Sunday) near Hong Hong. The typhoon battered the northern Philippine Batanes Islands overnight with wind gusts of up to 155 mph (250 kph), ripping down power lines and damaging crops, according to the South China Morning Post. Torrential rains of over a foot (305 mm) have fallen in 24 hours over eastern Taiwan, where Usagi's counterclockwise flow of moist air rode up over the high mountains of the island. Usagi reached its peak strength on Thursday, taking advantage of low wind shear and very warm waters 30°C with high heat content, to intensify to a Category 5 super typhoon with 160 mph winds. On Friday, Usagi began an eyewall replacement cycle that the typhoon is still attempting to complete. This process, where the inner eyewall collapses and a new, larger-diameter eyewall forms from an outer spiral band, typically causes a reduction in intensity by one Saffir-Simpson category, but spreads out the storm's hurricane-force winds over a larger area. Satellite images show that Usagi has lost its symmetry and the cloudtops have warmed, indicating weakening; this weakening is likely due to disruption of the low-level inflow by the high mountains of Taiwan. Wind shear is low, near 10 knots, but ocean temperatures have cooled to about 29°C, and the heat content of the waters is much lower than on Friday.



http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html?entrynum=2529

[blueknight]

1. i just got back

from HK in july. Love that city

[pscot]

2. Looks like they're about to get rained on

[gopiscrap]

3. Stay safe folks

I taught in Hong Kong and every time a major storm came through, many died. There are a ton of little shanty's in the hills and they always get washed away.

[pscot]

4. Here's the latest from Reuters

China's National Meteorological Centre issued its highest alert, with more than 80,000 people moved to safety in Fujian province and authorities deploying at least 50,000 disaster-relief workers, the state Xinhua news agency reported. Already, in coastal Fujian, the storm had taken out three major power lines, cutting off electricity supply to about 170,000 households, Xinhua added.

In Guangdong province, a major base for Chinese nuclear power, the Daya Bay nuclear power plant just east of Hong Kong had initiated emergency response schemes, Xinhua said. Four of the six power generating units at the plant had been ordered to operate at reduced load.
......

China's Agriculture Ministry had urged authorities in Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces to mobilize farmers to harvest mature crops quickly, warning of potential damage to farmland. Jiangxi province is a major rice producing region and the months of August and September are crucial for the development of late crops.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/22/us-asia-typhoon-idUSBRE98K02120130922