Typhoon Megi Closing in on Taiwan; Typhoon Warnings Issued

Tom Moore and Jonathan Erdman
Published: September 26,2016
Typhoon Megi, a Category 2 equivalent typhoon in the western Pacific Ocean, is closing in on Taiwan, the fourth typhoon to landfall or brush Taiwan this season.
Megi is currently located just over 300 miles southeast of Taipei, Taiwan. Megi rapidly intensified with wind speeds increasing from a 50 mph tropical storm to a 105 mph typhoon in just 24 hours this weekend.
Monday, it appeared Megi was replacing its eyewall, something common in stronger tropical cyclones.

Current Storm Status

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau has issued typhoon warnings and a number of "extremely heavy rain advisories" ahead of Megi.
Radar from Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau (CWB) shows Megi's broad shield of rain pushing toward Taiwan now.
(MORE: Hurricane Central)

Current Winds, Gusts

Forecast

Megi will make landfall in Taiwan Tuesday afternoon, local time. Taiwan is 12 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern daylight time.
There is still some chance Megi gains some intensity coming off the eyewall replacement cycle, but it is running out of time before landfall.
(MORE: Typhoon Alley...The Planet's Most Intense Tropical Cyclones)

Typhoon Force Wind Probabilities

In addition to the threat of damaging winds (downed trees, power outages, structural damage to any poorly-constructed buildings), coastal flooding and battering waves, Megi, as many Taiwan tropical cyclones do, will deposit torrential rainfall, particularly over the higher terrain, where 1 to 2 feet of rain may occur through Wednesday.
(FORECAST: Taipei)
Flash flooding and landslides are likely in prone areas of Taiwan's mountains, particularly considering saturated ground from the soaking provided by Meranti, then Malakas one to two weeks ago.

Rainfall Outlook Through Friday

After interacting with Taiwan's mountains, Megi's circulation will weaken before making its final landfall in southeast China to the northeast of Hong Kong Wednesday.

Projected Path and Intensity

Additional heavy rainfall, with a threat of flash flooding, will spread into southeast China ahead of and after Megi's final landfall.
(FORECAST: Hong Kong)
As mentioned earlier, Megi will be the fourth typhoon to either brush or make landfall in Taiwan this season.

Typhoons to either landfall or brush Taiwan in 2016 through September 21, along with dates of their closest approach and intensities.

According to the CWB, 3 to 4 typhoons make landfall or pass close enough to trigger significant impacts on Taiwan each year, on average. August, July, and September, in that order, are the most likely months for typhoons, there.
As many as seven typhoons have struck Taiwan in four separate years, most recently in 2001, according to the CWB.
Keep checking back with weather.com for the latest on the development and track of this potentially threatening tropical system.
MORE: Typhoon Meranti- September 2016