Typhoon SOULIK to Dump 6 Billion Tons of Rain on Taiwan

SOULIK Dumping an estimated 6 billion tons of rain on Taiwan Region

FIRE-EARTH estimates Typhoon SOULIK will have dumped at least 6 billion tons of precipitation on Taiwan region.

• Such tremendous amount of precipitation over  a short period of time could cause catastrophic flash floods and potentially deadly landslides.

Typhoon SOULIK – MTSAT Funktop IR satellite image enhancement – July 13, 2013 @ 00:32UTC. Funktop enhancement highlights intense areas of precipitation. Source: NOAA/SSD

High Probability of Landslides

Taiwan authorities have warned about potential disaster in the areas most prone to landslides.

“The central region of Taiwan has experienced two earthquakes with magnitude six or above on 27 March and 2 June, loose soil after seismic activities are potential disaster areas under heavy rainfall,” they warned in a statement.

China Landing

SOULIK is expected to make  landfall in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on the Chinese mainland on Saturday PM, the local forecasters said.

Related Links

• Typhoon SOULIK Covers 1 Million Sq Km July 12, 2013
• SOULIK Continues to Gain Mass July 11, 2013
• Typhoon SOULIK Targets Taipei, Taiwan July 10, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Typhoon SOULIK Covers 1 Million Sq Km

Rain Monster SOULIK continues to grow

Dangerous Typhoon SOULIK has grown to about 1 million km² covering an area 27 times the size of  Taiwan.

Typhoon Stats as of 00:32UTC on July 12, 2013

• Approximate position: 22.8ºN, 125.7ºE
• Movement: 280 degrees @ 12 NMPH  (~22 km/h)
• Max. Sustained Winds: 100  NMPH (185 km/h)
• Max. Wind Gusts: 125 NMPH (232 km/h)

As of 02:30UTC Friday, SOULIK was 420 km east of Yilan county on the NE coast of Taiwan.

The typhoon could make landfall in Yilan or Hualien counties on the country’s NE coast about 20:00UTC Friday, according to several models.

Typhoon  SOULIK.  MTSAT – Floater SW/IR Sat Image – NOAA/SSD – FIRE-EARTH Enhancement – Jul 12, 2013 @ 01:32UTC

Typhoon SOULIK projected path superimposed on a sea surface temperature map. Image credit: CIMSS

High Probability of Landslides

Taiwan authorities have warned about potential disaster in the areas most prone to landslides.

“The central region of Taiwan has experienced two earthquakes with magnitude six or above on 27 March and 2 June, loose soil after seismic activities are potential disaster areas under heavy rainfall,” they warned in a statement.

Related Links

• SOULIK Continues to Gain Mass July 11, 2013
• Typhoon SOULIK Targets Taipei, Taiwan July 10, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

SOULIK Continues to Gain Mass

Gigantic Typhoon SOULIK growing bigger, slower

Typhoon Stats as of 00:32UTC on July 11, 2013

• Approximate position: 22.5ºN, 130.6ºE
• Movement: 280 degrees @ 12 NMPH  (24 km/h)
• Max. Sustained Winds: 120  NMPH (222 km/h)
• Max. Wind Gusts: 145 NMPH (270 km/h)

Tropical Cyclone SOULIK continues moving WNW in Northwest Pacific – IR satellite image with the typhoon’s projected path. Image Credit: CIMSS

Ty SOULIK  in Northwest Pacific – IR satellite image (NHC Enhancement). Image Credit: CIMSS

Related Links

• Typhoon SOULIK Targets Taipei, Taiwan July 10, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Typhoon SOULIK Targets Taipei, Taiwan

SOULIK Intensifies to a powerful Cat 4 storm, heading toward Taipei, N. Taiwan

Dangerous SOULIK powers on with sustained winds of 232 km/h.

FIRE-EARTH models show SOULIK could intensify to a SUPER Typhoon with sustained winds of >250 km/h with a probability of about 64% .

Typhoon Stats as of 10:00UTC on July 10, 2013

• Approximate position: 21.1ºN, 135.8ºE
• Movement: 290 degrees @ 13 NMPH  (24 km/h)
• Max. Sustained Winds: 125  NMPH (232 km/h)
• Max. Wind Gusts: 150 NMPH (278 km/h)

Tropical Cyclone SOULIK in Northwest Pacific – IR satellite image with the typhoon’s projected path. Image Credit: CIMSS

Symmetrically perfect Typhoon SOULIK – VIS/IR satellite image. Image Credit: CIMSS

Related Links

• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

36 of Kuriles’ 68 Volcanic Centers Active Recently!

KURILE ISLAND VOLCANOES AND THE THREAT TO AVIATION

The remote Kurile Islands of the northwest Pacific stretch 1250 km (740 mi) from the tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula to northern Hokkaido, Japan. The Kuriles include 68 identified volcanic centers above sea level. Among them, 36 have been active in recent times and many are capable of producing sudden ash clouds that rise more than 15 km (50,000 ft) above sea level.

Some of the world’s most heavily traveled air corridors pass within a few hundred km of Kurile volcanoes. Daily, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 people fly on these routes. Ash clouds can rise more than 1 km (3,300 ft) per minute, putting dozens of en route wide-body jets rapidly in harm’s way on a typical day in the North Pacific. Ash clouds travel with prevailing winds across hundreds or thousands of kilometers of airspace within a day. Inadvertent entry into an ash cloud can severely damage aircraft systems and, in the worst case, lead to complete engine failure. Ash fallout can also curtail ground operations at airports. (

(Excerpts and Image: KURILE VOLCANOES AND THE SAKHALIN VOLCANIC ERUPTION RESPONSE TEAM (SVERT)- AVO).

Related Links:

• Quick reference to the Active Volcanoes of the Kurile Islands: English (800 KB PDF)

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