Dujuan Nears Super Typhoon Status, Barrels Toward Taiwan

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

September 27,2015; 9:46PM,EDT

 

Dujuan is close to super typhoon strength as it barrels toward Taiwan with an eventual landfall in eastern China.
The combination of the warm waters of the Philippine Sea and a lack of disruptive wind shear has allowed Dujuan to rapidly strengthen over the weekend.
Dujuan remains a powerful typhoon with its strength close to that of a super typhoon, a status that is reached when maximum sustained winds are at least 240 kph (150 mph).

Residents of Taiwan should be rushing to complete preparations as the dangerous typhoon is anticipated to strike on Monday evening and night, local time. Meanwhile, those on the far southern Ryukyu Islands of Miyako and Yaeyama should be seeking shelter with Dujuan set to batter the islands on Monday.
As the center of Dujuan passes by to the south, damaging winds of 110 to 145 kph (70 to 90 mph) will howl across Miyako and Yaeyama. The latter island, which was slammed by Typhoon Goni about a month ago, will even face gusts in excess of 160 mph (100 mph) when Dujuan makes its closest approach. Rainfall of up to 300 mm (12 inches) threatens to cause significant flooding.
Satellite Loop of Typhoon Dujuan (Image/NOAA).
Some rain has already begun to fall across northern Taiwan as moisture from the typhoon is getting wrung out over the mountains. On Sunday, 128 mm (5 inches) of rain was reported on the northern tip of the island. Rain and wind will further increase through Monday before Dujuan slams onshore along the island's north-central coast in the evening.
Even if Dujuan reaches super typhoon status, it will likely slightly weaken below that threshold prior to making landfall. Regardless, Dujuan will still be a powerful typhoon with its strength equivalent to that of a Category 3 hurricane and pose significant dangers to lives and property.
RELATED:
West Pacific Typhoon Center
Detailed Forecast for Taipei, Taiwan
Radar for Japan's Ryukyu Islands
In northern Taiwan, wind gusts of 130 to 160 kph (80 to 100 mph) could batter Taipei causing some structural damage and significant power outages. Rainfall will likely exceed 250 mm (10 inches) in many areas with 500 mm (20 inches) of rain possible in some areas. Flooding and mudslides are serious concerns.
Northeastern Taiwan, especially the mountains, will bear the brunt of Dujuan's fury. Destructive wind gusts in excess of 195 kph (120 mph) will batter the coastline and eastern mountains of Yilan and northern Hualien counties.
"Rainfall could easily exceed 600 mm (2 feet) in the northern mountains of Taiwan," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty.

Impacts to Taiwan from Dujuan will likely be very similar to what the island endured when once-Super Typhoon Soudelor slammed onshore.
After barreling across Taiwan, Dujuan will take aim at eastern China.
Cooler water and land interaction with Taiwan will cause Dujuan to weaken to the strength equal to that of a Category 1 hurricane prior to reaching eastern China on Tuesday, likely along the corridor from Quanzhou to Fuzhou.
However, Douty warned "Dujuan would still be a typhoon capable of bringing flooding rain and damaging winds."
While the threat for wind damage will largely be confined to coastal areas of Fujian in eastern China, the threat for flooding would extend significantly farther inland with 75 to 150 mm (3 to 6 inches) of rain across a large portion of Fujian and southern Zhejiang.
Despite making landfall in eastern China, Japan and South Korea may not totally escape impacts from Dujuan. Moisture from the typhoon will interact with a frontal boundary to cause potentially flooding downpours later in the week.

Weather Overview for Asia

Later this week, what is left of the typhoon could take a turn to the northeast and threaten more of mainland Japan and the Korean Peninsula with potentially flooding rain and gusty winds as a non-tropical system.
AccuWeather will continue to provide updates and more details on the projected track of Dujuan and hazards to life and property.
Contributions by Meteorologist Adam Douty.