Typhoon Kalmaegi is presently centered at 20⁰N Latitude and 111⁰E Longitude in the open sea. Punched with wind speed exceeding 130 kmph and in gusts 150 kmph, Kalmaegi is equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane and is likely to make landfall in China’s Hainan Island shortly.
After making landfall it will enter the gulf of Tonkin and make landfall in north Vietnam, affecting the weather there. It will then move further and enter Laos travelling up to Mynmar. The remnants of the Typhoon could move up to Northeast India also.
Skymet Meteorolgy Division in India reiterates the fact that history of such storms suggest that after reaching the coastal areas of south China, they weaken but remnants of such systems come very close to northeastern parts of India and play an important role in shaping up of systems in the Bay of Bengal. Despite being miles away, such severe typhoons tend to suppress the formation of any system as they drive away the moisture from the Bay.
The Pacific Ocean has an active stormy season commencing from September and lasting till December. The intensity of these systems vary largely from a tropical depression to super typhoon. The West Pacific was struck by four CAT-5 typhoons last year during the period between September and December 2013. A vast stretch of coastline of Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, China, Japan and Korea remains under threat of strong tropical storms, frequently achieving typhoon status. These systems have devastating potential and are punched with a deadly combination of gale winds and torrential rains.
Picture courtesy: cimss
