Super Typhoon Halong: Powerful Cyclone Forecast to Turn North Toward Japan

By Nick Wiltgen Published: Aug 3,2014, 8:52PM,EDT weather.com

Super Typhoon Heads Towards Japan

Super Typhoon Halong, the third super typhoon of 2014 in the Western Pacific basin, is expected to make a sharp right turn over the next 24 to 48 hours and move north toward portions of Japan later this week.
Earlier, when it was a tropical storm, Halong impacted Guam on July 30.
(MORE: Halong Strikes Guam)
Super Typhoon Halong rapidly intensified on late Friday and Saturday, August 1-2 (Greenwich Mean Time), going from a minimal typhoon with 75-mph winds to a super typhoon with winds in excess of 150 mph in just 24 hours, according to the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The Japan Meteorological Agency, the primary agency recognized by the World Meteorological Organization for typhoon analysis and forecasting, estimated Halong's central pressure at 915 millibars (27.02 inches of mercury) as of 1800 GMT Sunday (2 p.m. EDT in the U.S.). The agency uses a different intensity scale from JTWC, and instead of calling it a "super typhoon," referred to it as a "violent" typhoon, the strongest category on its scale.
(TYPHOON RECAPS: Matmo | Rammasun | Neoguri)

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Fortunately, no land areas were in the vicinity during this period of rapid intensification, and none are in its immediate path.
However, that will change as Halong makes a sharp right turn and takes a more north-northwestwardly trajectory.

Halong Forecast Path

This change in direction will likely take Halong in the general direction of the Ryukyu Island chain of southern Japan, including Okinawa, late this week. While Halong will likely be weaker than it is now, it will still probably be a typhoon.
By the end of the week, Halong may go on to threaten western portions of the Japanese mainland and/or South Korea. This includes areas that have seen extremely heavy rainfall from the previous cyclone, Tropical Storm Nakri, in the past few days.
If you live in or have travel plans to Japan or South Korea, you should continue to monitor the progress of Halong.
(MORE: Expert Analysis)
The national meteorological service in the Philippines, PAGASA, has named this typhoon Jose (using its own naming system) as it has entered the waters east of the Philippines. However, the typhoon will not have a direct impact on land in the Philippines, and is mainly a concern for marine interests east of that country.

Facts About Halong

The official WMO name, Halong, was submitted by Vietnam. It refers to a scenic bay and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the coast of northern Vietnam. The name, borrowed into the Vietnamese language from Chinese, literally means "descending dragon."
Coincidentally, a July 2002 storm also named Halong also struck Guam as a tropical storm before later becoming a super typhoon. It eventually passed over Okinawa and grazed the Japanese mainland.

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People repair a house destroyed by Typhoon Rammasun in Batangas, southwest of Manila on July 17, 2014, a day after the storm barreled over the region . (Ted Aljibe/Getty Images)