The Power of Super Typhoon Meranti! (credit: NOAA Satellite and Information Service)

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