By Matichon, FirstPost.com and AccuWeather
THIS week, Typhoon Hinnamnor developed into the most powerful tropical cyclone recorded on Earth so far in 2022 but it is not heading for Thailand but will strengthen the southwesterly monsoon.
The Thai Meteorological Department said this evening (Sept. 1) that Hinnamnor is currently centred on the eastern side of Taiwan in the western Pacific Ocean and is moving in a southwesterly direction but is expected to reverse and move into eastern China.
Super Typhoon Hinnamnor is expected to threaten countries like Japan, the Philippines and China. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the typhoon will be the strongest one in 2022.
As of Thursday afternoon local time, the typhoon had one-minute sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph), equivalent to a Category 4 major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic and East Pacific basins. Wind gusts were estimated to be 278 km/h (172 mph). Satellite imagery showed that the storm had a well-defined eye.
With warm ocean waters and light wind shear in its path, Hinnamnor is expected to maintain its intensity, and even strengthen into Friday as the storm slows to a crawl. AccuWeather meteorologists say that Hinnamnor may strengthen to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale into Friday.
“Typhoon Hinnamnor will continue to begin turning southwest Thursday afternoon, local time, and then stall through Friday,” explained AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster and Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
Typhoon Hinnamnor will bring violent winds to parts of Okinawa in southwestern Japan. The storm is expected to reach the main island of the prefecture later this week.
However, the super typhoon is likely to lose some of its strength in the coming days.
According to China’s Central Weather Bureau, Hinnamnor developed into a typhoon on August 29.
According to a report by CNBC TV18, its path after passing through Okinawa is uncertain but projections suggest that the typhoon will continue further north toward the Korean peninsula next week.
It will also pass Taiwan and the coast of mainland China.
What has been the impact so far?
Okinawa flights have been disrupted by the storm, with many airlines suspending operations over the region.
According to a report by Mint, Japan Airlines Co cancelled flights to and from the region on Wednesday and ANA Holdings Inc said that it has cancelled eight of its flights until Thursday.
Officials have advised residents to stay alert for the likely event of evacuation owing to violent winds and high waves.
Have there been other hurricanes this year?
Earlier this year in July, tropical storm Bonnie turned into a category one hurricane on the southwest coast of Mexico. According to the US National Hurricane Centre, the hurricane had a wind speed of 130 km per hour.
Just a few days later, as Hurricane Bonnie was subsiding, another tropical storm called Hurricane Darby was forming on Mexico’s Pacific coast. The US National Hurricane Centre said that Darby had maximum sustained winds of 65 km per hour and that it posed no threat to the land.
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Top and Front Page: Satellite image of Super Typhoon Hinnamnor. Facebook, Peng Chi-ming image published by Taiwan News
Map of Super typhoon Hinnamnor. Credit: AccuWeather.com
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