Nepartak kills two in Taiwan, takes aim at eastern China

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

July 8,2016; 6:59PM,EDT

 

 

After slamming Taiwan and claiming at least two lives on Friday, once-Super Typhoon Nepartak is now threatening eastern China.
Nepartak made landfall about 5 miles southwest of Taitung City, Taiwan, shortly before 7 a.m. local time on Friday. Winds were estimated to be around 201 km/h (125 mph), the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins.
While Nepartak was no longer super typhoon at landfall, it still endangered lives and property on Friday as it barreled across Taiwan.
At least two people died and dozens more were injured in Taiwan after Nepartak made landfall, according to the Associated Press. More than 15,400 people were evacuated prior to the typhoon's arrival.
A weather station at Tianxiang, Hualien County, recorded 555.5 mm (nearly 22 inches) of rain as of early Saturday morning, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau.
Taitung City registered a wind gust of 144 km/h (90 mph) prior to Nepartak making landfall. The weather observation site then stopped reporting wind readings.
Power cuts have affected nearly 400,000 homes in Taiwan, the Associated Press reported. The majority of the power outages occurred in Pingtung and Taitung counties.

Conditions will gradually improve across Taiwan on Saturday as Nepartak slowly departs and takes aim at eastern China.
There will still be locally heavy bands of rain, which threaten to further worsen flooding problems or trigger new mudslides. The downpours will persist into at least Sunday in southwestern Taiwan.
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Heavy rain and strong winds will then increase along the eastern China coastal plain on Saturday as Nepartak makes its second and final landfall.
Nepartak is expected to move inland in the vicinity of Xiamen and Quanzhou as a tropical storm at midday Saturday.
Nepartak churning across the West Pacific, courtesy of NOAA.
The worst impacts in eastern China will be in Fujian Province. Widespread heavy rain spreading across central Fujian Province will total 150-300 mm (6-12 inches), triggering flash flooding.
Gusts will generally average 95-135 km/h (60-85 mph) along and near the coast. There can be widespread tree damage, power outages and sporadic structural damage. Coastal communities near and east of Nepartak's landfall point will also be subject to coastal flooding.
Localized downpours will gradually spread into southeastern Jiangxi Province later this weekend as Nepartak tracks farther inland, rapidly weakening to a tropical rainstorm in the process.

"As Nepartak weakens, winds will become a lesser concern and flooding rainfall will be the main concern," AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Nepartak, as a tropical rainstorm, is expected to fizzle over eastern China early next week likely before spreading its frequent downpours to the areas devastated by deadly flooding last week.
Its moisture may still contribute to locally heavy rain across Japan and South Korea early next week.
While Nepartak ended the tropical cyclone drought in the basin, it is not expected to be followed by a flurry of tropical activity.
"The window for development looks to slam shut by this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said. "Then, I do not see much opportunity [for further development] until late July."
Content contributed by Meteorologist Eric Leister.