Typhoon Maysak Rapidly Intensifies and Could Become a Super Typhoon; May Threaten the Philippines, Yap Islands This Week

Jon Erdman
Published: March 30,2015



 
Typhoon Maysak has rapidly intensified since this weekend and is now the equivalent of a strong Category 4 hurricane, according to the Tuesday morning advisory issued by the National Weather Service in Guam (Guam is 14 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern daylight time).
Additional strengthening is forecast and Maysak may become a super typhoon with winds of 150 mph or greater in the next 36 hours.
Maysak will continue to impact parts of Micronesia over the next day or so and could possibly threaten parts of the Philippines this weekend. Typhoon Maysak's eye was located east of Yap and well south-southwest of Guam as of the Tuesday morning advisory.
(INTERACTIVE: Current Satellite Loop of Maysak)

Infrared Satellite: Maysak

Typhoon warnings have been posted by the National Weather Service in Guam for parts of Yap state, including the islands of Faraulep, Fais, Ulithi and Yap.
Fortunately, Maysak's center will remain sufficiently far south of Guam to limit impacts to perhaps some outer rainbands and high surf on east, southeast or southwest-facing beaches.
(FORECAST: Guam)
On its present path, Maysak's center may pass close to or just north of the most populated Yap Islands late Tuesday night, local time, potentially as super typhoon (winds 150 mph or greater).

Forecast path and peak sustained winds of Maysak over the next five days. Circles denote uncertainty in the position of the center at each forecast point.

Storm surge flooding, typhoon-force winds, flash flooding from torrential rainfall are all possible as the eye of Maysak nears the islands late Tuesday night. Tropical storm-force winds may begin in the Yap Islands as soon as late Tuesday afternoon or evening.
With typhoon-force winds extending up to 40 miles from the center of Maysak, the exact track will be crucial for determining the severity of impacts, as we saw with Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu earlier in March.
It remains too early to tell if and how heavily Maysak may eventually impact the Philippines.
The concern is after an initial slight rightward (northward) bend in the track, upper-level high pressure would resettle in, steering Maysak toward the Philippines. If this occurs, the threat to the northern or central Philippines would be this weekend. All interests in the Philippines should monitor closely the progress of Maysak.
(FORECAST: Manila | Tacloban)
Typhoon Maysak first impacted Chuuk State, a group of Micronesian islands about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) southeast of Guam. Winds gusted as high as 71 mph Chuuk International Airport on Weno Island in the Chuuk State of Micronesian on Sunday, local time. (Chuuk is 14 hours ahead of eastern daylight time.)
Guampdn.com reported about 95 percent of tin houses were destroyed in Chuuk state. Communications were down in the islands Saturday, but were restored Sunday. Priority is now to clear the airstrip to allow flights in, according to Perry Killion, a specialist with the National Weather Service in Chuuk.
Maysak became the third typhoon of 2015, a record active early start to the year in the western Pacific, according to Weather Underground's director of meteorology, Dr. Jeff Masters.
Western Pacific Ocean tropical cyclones, called typhoons, can occur any time of the year, but typically hit a relative minimum in February and early March.
The name Maysak is Cambodian for a kind of tree.
Earlier in March, Tropical Cyclone Pam made a direct hit on the southern islands of Vanuatu in the south Pacific.
(PAM: Before/After Imagery | How You Can Help | Four Tropical Cyclones At Once)

MORE: Cyclone Pam's Devastation (Mar. 2015)