DISCUSSION: As Typhoon Megi continues on its current westward track across the far Western Pacific Ocean, you can see the gorgeous, symmetric structure associated with Megi as of earlier today (local time). In the animated visible satellite imagery below, you can notice even more detailed structure associated with the classic banded outflow structure. This is denoted by the healthy and symmetric outflow of cloud bands emanating from the center in a cyclonic direction. Therefore, despite this storm's recent period of intensification occurred reasonably close to its first landfall projected for eastern parts of Taiwan, it still has become and will remain to be a very dangerous tropical cyclone. Currently, Typhoon Megi has sustained winds of 115 MPH with maximum wind gusts up to or possibly just over 145 MPH. This makes Megi the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane based upon the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (i.e., the intensity scale which rates hurricane based on the maximum sustained wind speed associated with a tropical cyclone at a given point in time).
To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across the Western Pacific Ocean, be sure to click here! ~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
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Typhoon Malakas Beginning To Lose Some Steam... (credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison CIMSS)9/17/2016 
DISCUSSION: As Typhoon Malakas continues to gradually lose strength over the cooler waters just north of Taiwan, the impacts across Central/North Taiwan as well as far southern Japan (i.e., the smaller individual islands located to the south of the primary island of Japan) will gradually abate over the next 12 to 24 hours. At this point in time, Malakas remains to be a dangerous tropical cyclone across the far Western Pacific Ocean with maximum sustained winds still holding at 115 MPH (with occasional gusts up to 145 MPH) making it the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane (as recognized in the Tropical Central/Eastern Pacific Ocean as well as the Tropical Atlantic Ocean basins). Thus, despite the current weakening trend, there are still legitimate threats to much of Japan as this strong tropical cyclone continues moving to the north and northeast over the next few days!
As a result of this continued threat from Typhoon Malakas, it is in the best interest of people currently residing across both southern and central parts of Japan to make the necessary preparations for this approaching storm. Based on recent infrared satellite imagery trends associated with the circulation of Malakas, there is evidence for re-cooling and an increasingly symmetrical appearance of cloud top temperatures associated with thunderstorms near the center of Malakas. This operationally suggests that Typhoon Malakas may be briefly trying to go through a final cycle of intensification as it continues northward. Despite this continued threat, Malakas spared Taiwan from devastating impacts (albeit widely scattered occurrences of both landslides and mudslides across the island nation of Taiwan) since it ended up tracking just to the east of Taiwan. Nonetheless, even without a direct hit, the combination of gusty winds and heavy rainfall (courtesy of outer bands propagating across Taiwain) generated notable impacts. Hence, as it continues moving to higher latitudes, people should absolutely remain vigilant since even a weakening tropical cyclone is still a viable threat to both life and property. To learn more about other high-impact weather events across the Western Pacific Ocean, be sure to click here! @Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As of the last few days, the Tropical Western Pacific Ocean has been quite active, namely, by way of the most recent tropical cyclone called Meranti becoming a Super Typhoon. Super Typhoon Meranti (as seen in the image above courtesy of the NOAA Satellite and Information Service) is at the equivalent intensity of a Category 5 hurricane across the Tropical Atlantic Basin with maximum sustained winds of 185 MPH with occasional gusts up to or possibly over 225 MPH. Therefore, as it gets closer to its final approach to the island nation of Taiwan, Meranti will remain a very legitimate and serious threat to both life and property across the aforementioned parts of the Western Pacific Ocean as well as points to the west/northwest. As it continues on its current heading (i.e., off to the west and eventually off to the west-northwest), there will be a substantial increase in the overall impacts (i.e., predominantly from the storm surge emanating from the northern side of Meranti across many southern and far southeastern parts of Taiwan as well as strong/gusty winds coupled with heavy rainfall associated with stronger progating rain bands). If you or anyone you know is currently in this part of the world, alert them of this situation as conditions across both far southern Taiwan and East-Central China will rapidly deteriorate during the day on Wednesday and Thursday as the center of Meranti makes it closest approach to southern Taiwan and then an actual landfall across East-Central China during the late morning/early afternoon on Thursday.
As seen in the high-resolution satellite image above (courtesy of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (aka VIIRS) aboard NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP satellite), you can clearly denote the nearly-perfect and symmetric eye which was and still remains in place within the core of Meranti. This very well-defined eye is indicative of the immense power and overall strength of this very intense tropical cyclone moving across the heart of Tropical Western Pacific. In addition, you can also clearly see the very symmetric banding structure associated with what is scientifcally referred to as a classic "annular cyclone," wherein the cyclonically-rotating bandings features which are pivoting around the center of the circulation and nearly perfectly synchronized from west-to-east and from north-to-south. To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across the Western Pacific Ocean, be sure to click here! @Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz |
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