Typhoon Chaba Strengthening en Route to Japan; Typhoon Threat Mid-Week for Mainland Japan

Jon Erdman
Published: October 1,2016
Chaba, now a Category 3 equivalent typhoon well northeast of the northern Philippines, will pose a threat to parts of Japan next week.
According to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Chaba's center is currently around 460 miles south-southeast of Kadena AB.
(MORE: Hurricane Central)

Current Storm Information, Infrared Satellite Image

Chaba is now experiencing less wind shear than its time near Guam, allowing it to quickly gain strength. Intensification is likely to continue over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Then it becomes a question of how sharp a recurve – a turn toward the northwest, north, then northeast – Chaba takes early next week.
The sharper and sooner the recurve, the less of a threat to Japan. The weaker and/or later a recurve, the more of a Japan threat.
(RECAP: Typhoon Malakas)

Forecast Path: Chaba

For now, the forecast path is quite uncertain, something not unusual with a forecast several days out.
(FORECASTS: Kadena AB | Tokyo)
It is a likely threat to Okinawa in the late Sunday/Monday timeframe and southern Japan Tuesday into Wednesday.
(MORE: Typhoon Alley: The Planet's Most Intense Tropical Cyclones)
Check back with us at weather.com for the latest on this system.
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