Powerful Typhoon Usagi Barreling Toward Hong Kong

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

September 21,2013; 2:20PM,EDT

 

 

Residents of Hong Kong are bracing for the landfall of powerful Typhoon Usagi later this weekend.
Usagi strengthened into a super typhoon Thursday night local time (Thursday morning EDT) as it barreled toward southern Taiwan.
The mountainous terrain of Taiwan caused Usagi to weaken just below super typhoon status on Saturday local time. However, Usagi remains a very powerful and dangerous typhoon.
Winds near the eye of the storm were confirmed at 175 kph (111 mph) late on Saturday at a reporting weather station in the Luzon Strait.

The typhoon's strength will remain equal to that of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane in the Atlantic as it approaches Southeast China.
Despite weakening a bit further as it moves inland Sunday night, Usagi will still lash Hong Kong and Southeast China with widespread flooding rain, damaging winds and significant coastal flooding.
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The worst coastal flooding will occur as Usagi passes by to the west of a given point. In addition to flooding, the torrential rain threatens to trigger landslides in the higher terrain.
Conditions will deteriorate on Sunday with the worst of Usagi accompanying the typhoon onshore Sunday night.

The center of Usagi is expected to pass directly over or extremely close to Hong Kong, putting the city at risk for damaging wind gusts of 130 to 160 kph (80 to 100 mph). Rainfall from Sunday through Monday morning will total 150 to 250 mm (6 to 10 inches).
The coastline will be subject to an inundating 1.5- to 3-meter (5- to 10-foot) storm surge. Levels on the higher end of that range will be most likely if Usagi tracks immediately to the south of Hong Kong rather than to the north.
Usagi's damaging wind threat will lessen once the typhoon moves onshore and begins to weaken. Flooding rain, however, should continue to accompany Usagi as it tracks westward across South China and into northern Vietnam and Laos Monday through Wednesday.
Meteorologist Eric Leister contributed to this story