The storm is the strongest since Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013, and it is the biggest to near Taiwan since 1959, CNN reports .
Meranti rose quickly from being a Category 1 storm to the highest level of Category 5 in a period of 24 hours early this week, with winds reaching up to 230 mph.
The monster storm is the strongest anywhere in the world this year, and is among the “deepest tropical cyclones ever recorded anywhere on earth,” according to the forecast site Weather Underground.
As of Wednesday morning in Asia the superstorm was nearing the southern tip of the small island of 23.5 million.
The eye of the storm is expected to brush past Taiwan’s southern waters, while rain and winds over 74 mph will likely hit most of the island’s southern land area.
CNN updates show current winds at 189 mph with gusts at 190 mph as the storm closes in on the island and heads northwest toward the coast of China.
0 comments:
Post a Comment