First Super Typhoon Of Season In West Pacific: Mainland Landfall Unlikely
Representational Image: AI-Skymet
Key Takeaways:
- Super Typhoon Sinlaku forms early in the Northwest Pacific
- Winds peaked around 225 km/h during landfall near Northern Mariana Islands
- Storm expected to recurve northeast and accelerate
- Gradual weakening likely; no mainland landfall expected
The first super typhoon, “Sinlaku”, of the season has arrived early in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The storm is centered around 16°N and 145°E in the deep waters of the Pacific. The typhoon is located northwest of Saipan and has tracked north-northwestward at a speed of about 8 km/h. It is likely to follow the same track for another 12 hours and change course thereafter. Proximity of the ridge will move it more to the north first and northeastward later. During this phase, the typhoon is likely to accelerate.
The typhoon is in the deep ocean and is the last of a rare set of triplet cyclones that formed this month. Earlier on Tuesday, the cyclone made landfall on the Northern Mariana Islands as a super typhoon, with strong gusty winds of the order of about 225 km/h. The typhoon had developed a clear ‘eye’, indicative of its strength. The initial eyewall has undergone replacement and is nearly complete now. The eye of the storm is likely to get filled up and may become indiscernible after 48 hours.
The Northwest Pacific can host storms round the year, but the peak season is from May to October. The strongest typhoons generally form between July and October. Going by those standards, the super typhoon Sinlaku has knocked a little early in the season over the West Pacific.
The typhoon is located in a marginally favourable environment. Because of the islands, dry air intrusion may erode its strength. As of now, it is sailing over a region with high Sea Surface Temperatures, low Vertical Wind Shear, and moderate radial outflow. However, as the storm starts recurvature and moves northeastward, it will enter relatively cooler waters of the Pacific. Sinlaku is forecast to continue a steady weakening trend, mainly on account of cooler sea surface and dry air entrainment. After 24 hours, the typhoon will weaken to a Cat-II equivalent hurricane and further drop intensity in the subsequent 24 hours. The storm will accelerate and move northeast away from the landmass. It will weaken to an average storm in the next about 72 hours. It will skip mainland landfall of any of the Pacific ring countries.
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