More than 2 Feet of Snow Paralyzes N Tibet

N Tibet buried under unexpected, heavy snow

Original Caption: A Herdsman herds livestock near the snow-blocked Lakenla Mountain, Damxung County in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 22, 2013. Local husbandry and traffic was affected by the sudden heavy snow which hit the northern Tibet recently. (Xinhua/Chogo). More images…

FRANCISCO to Bring More Rain to Sodden Coastal Japan

Typhoon FRANCISCO to Swipe Japan’s Pacific Coast

FRANCISCO, the 27th Typhoon of 2013, would likely follow a somewhat similar path to typhoon WIPHA, which dumped more than 800 millimeter of rain over Izu Ōshima Island in 24 hours, as it swiped Tokyo region.

WIPHA unleashed massive landslides on the volcanic Island, killing dozens of people (29 confirmed dead , 16 others missing presumed dead), destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and forcing thousands to evacuate last Wednesday.

FIRE-EARTH Models show FRANCISCO making landfall with probability of about 55 percent, as of 03:00UTC on October 23, 2013.

Typhoon FRANCISCO moves closer to southern Japan, watched by Super Typhoon LEKIMA. VISIBLE/INFRARED satellite image (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) recorded at 01:30UTC on October 23, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

Typhoon FRANCISCO

• Time: 03:00UTC – October 23, 2013
• Movement: NW (305 degrees) at 15km/hr
• Position: Near 24.3ºN, 131.1ºE
• Location: About 270km Southeast (118 degrees) of Naha, Okinawa, Japan
• Max Sustained Winds: 140km/hr
• Max Wind Gusts: 215km/hr
• Significant Wave Height:   10m
• Source: FIRE-EARTH and others

Projected paths of Typhoon FRANCISCO and Super Typhoon LEKIMA as of 01:30UTC on October 23, 2013. Original images sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC. Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH

Typhoon Stats for NW Pacific

• The 60 year average (1951-2010) No of Typhoons: 20.9
• No of typhoons so far this year: 28
• Percent Increase: 34 [Calculated by FIRE-EARTH blog]

Related News

Nansei Sekiyu KK, a Japanese refiner owned by Petrobras, has shut down marine operations at its 100,000 barrels-per-day refinery in Okinawa, due to typhoon FRANCISCO, said a report.

More details to follow…

Related Links

• Typhoon FRANCISCO and TD 27 Headed for Tokyo October 20, 2013
• FRANCISCO Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Storm Force  October 19, 2013
• FRANCISCO Shifts Up Into Major Typhoon Gear October 18, 2013
• Typhoon FRANCISCO Inching Toward Japan October 17, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Links to Typhoon WIPHA

• Typhoon WIPHA Dumps 800mm of Rain Over Tokyo October 16, 2013
• Typhoon WIPHA Targets Tokyo October 15, 2013
• Typhoon NARI Chased by TS WIPHA October 12, 2013
• Vietnam Evacuates 250,000 ahead of NARI October 14, 2013