Kujira Brings Threat of Flooding to 30 Million People in China and Vietnam

By Adam Douty, Meteorologist

June 23,2015; 9:50PM,EDT

 

 

Kujira formed on Saturday morning, EDT, or Saturday evening local time, in the South China Sea. Kujira has since moved to the north and made a first landfall on Hainan Island Monday night, local time.
Kujira continues to unleash flooding rain and gusty wind across southern China, and these threats will continue into Wednesday. Conditions will deteriorate across northern Vietnam Tuesday night and Wednesday as Kujira makes landfall near the border with China.
The primary threat from Kujira will be life-threatening, flooding rainfall. The greatest threat remains from Hainan Island into Guangxi and Guangdong provinces as well as northern Vietnam. This includes the cities of Hanoi, Haikou, Nanning, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. More than 30 million people are at risk from Kujira.

Within these areas of flooding concern, 74-150 mm (3-6 inches) of rain will be common through the first half of the week. The hardest hit areas will have in excess of 300 mm (10 inches) of rain where the center of the storm comes onshore and where persistent rain bands set up. Dongfang, on Hainan Island has already received more than 300 mm from the storm.
Wind gusts near the center of the storm at landfall could reach 80 kph (about 50 mph). This will be strong enough to bring isolated wind damage, but damaging wind will not extend far from the center of the storm and be limited primarily far northeast Vietnam and western Guangxi province.
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Kujira will remain a weak tropical storm as makes its final landfall near the border of Vietnam and China and then will quickly weaken as it moves further inland over the next 24 hours.
Despite weakening, a flow of tropical moisture will keep the risk for heavy downpours in southern China and northern Vietnam into the second half of the week.
AccuWeather meteorologists have been watching this area for tropical development over the past week. Meteorologists also expect tropical activity to increase across the Philippines Sea and into Micronesia through the end of the month.
Meteorologist Eric Leister contributed to this story.