FITOW Turns Deadly

Typhoon FITOW: two dead; 574,000 evacuated, 177,000 displaced; homes destroyed; power cut off to millions

Typhoon FITOW made landfall in east China’s Fujian Province early Monday, with winds of up to 201 km per hour, China’s National Meteorological Center said.

As of Monday, FITOW had claimed at least two lives, forcing 574,000 people to evacuate and 35,795 vessels to return to harbor for shelter, said a report.

FITOW, the 23rd typhoon to hit China this year, continued to move northwest weakening rapidly, said the center. Authorities issued a “Red Alert,” China’s highest weather warning, on Sunday.

“Rainstorm and winds up to 201 km per hour slashed Cangnan County and the Nanji Island Township, and some houses collapsed in the county, said the Wenzhou flood control headquarters,” the report said.

Some 177,000 people have been displaced In Fujian province, and about 30,000 fishing boats called to shore for shelter.

“The typhoon has caused suspension of bullet trains in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi and halted services on at least 35 lines that pass cities on the typhoon route, including services between Beijing and Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Xiamen,” said the report.

The typhoon also forced he “suspension of bullet trains in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi and halted services on at least 35 lines that pass cities on the typhoon route, including services between Beijing and Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Xiamen.”

Dozens of flights from Zhejiang Province including flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Kunming weer cancelled, and  coach services between Shanghai and Wenzhou were also suspended on Sunday.

Typhoon USAGI, the 19th typhoon of the year, killed dozens of people in southern Guangdong province, destroying at least 7,100 homes and causing direct economic losses of 3.24 billion yuan ($529.5 million) late September.

Related Links

• Typhoon FITOW Forces Hundreds of Thousands of Evacuations October 6, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Chased by Cyclone DANAS October 5, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Makes Minor Detour October 4, 2013
• Two Cyclones Moving Toward Japan October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery

Typhoon FITOW Forces Hundreds of Thousands of Evacuations

FITOW Slamming China

China’s meteorological agency issued a red alert for storm surges earlier on Sunday as Typhoon FITOW neared the country’s southeast coastal areas.

On Saturday the agency issued a “Red Alert,” the country’s highest in its weather warning system, for the typhoon.

Typhoon FITOW. SW/IR Satellite Image recorded at 15:32UTC on October 6, 2013. Source: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

FITOW FURY

Original caption: Frontier defense soldiers encounter high waves caused by Typhoon Fitow in Wenling City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2013. China’s meteorological authority issued a red alert on Sunday as Typhoon Fitow approaches the country’s southeast coastal areas. (Xinhua/Jia Ce). More images…

FITOW FURY. Waves intensified by TY FITOW slam the nortehrn coastline of of Keelung, Taiwan, Sunday October 6, 2013. (Photo: Xinhua/Wu Ching-teng)

Related Links

• Typhoon FITOW Chased by Cyclone DANAS October 5, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Makes Minor Detour October 4, 2013
• Two Cyclones Moving Toward Japan October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery

Typhoon FITOW Chased by Cyclone DANAS

UPDATED at 14:30UTC Saturday, October 5, 2013

DANAS has intensified to a typhoon force packing sustained winds of about 125km/hr. FIRE-EARTH models show that DANAS could potentially influence its predecessor, typhoon FITOW,  effectively pinwheeling the earlier typhoon [“Fujiwhara Effect,”] if the former stalls, or becomes quasi stationary again.

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China issues highest warning as Typhoon FITOW nears

China’s meteorological agency on Saturday issued a “Red Alert,” the country’s highest in its weather warning system, as Typhoon FITOW neared its southeast coast.

FITOW was located approximately 550km east of Taipei, according to FIRE-EARTH projections, tracking WNW at about 13km/hr, generating maximum significant wave heights of about 12 meters.

FITOW as of 9:00UTC on October 5, 2013

• Location: near 27.0ºN,119.3ºE
• Movement and speed: WNW  at 13km/hr
• Max sustained winds: 175km/hr
• Max wind gusts: 210km/hr
• Max significant wave heights: 12m

Typhoon FITOW (TY 1323) Chased by Tropical Cyclone DANAS (TS 1324) . MTSAT-2 image recorded at 7:00UTC on 2013-10-05. IMAGE credit: Digital Typhoon.

The typhoon is expected to move NW at a speed of about 15 km per hour, and would likely strengthen slightly, said China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC).

“FITOW is likely to make landfall in the coastal areas between central Zhejiang Province and northern Fujian Province between Sunday night and Monday morning,” said NMC.

“The center said it is unusual for a typhoon to make landfall in southeast China in October, urging local authorities and residents to raise their alerts and closely follow relevant information,” said a report.

China’s maritime authorities have also issued an “Orange Alert,” their second highest alert level, for coastal storm surges.

List of Tropical Cyclones in the Western North Pacific [October 5, 2013]

1. SONAMU
2. SHANSHAN
3. YAGI
4. LEEPI
5. BEBINCA
6. RUMBIA
7. SOULIK
8. CIMARON
9. JEBI
10. MANGKHUT
11. UTOR
12. TRAMI
13. PEWA
14. UNALA
15. KONG-REY
16. YUTU
17. TORAJI
18. MAN-YI
19. USAGI
20. PABUK
21. WUTIP
22. SEPAT
23. FITOW
24. DANAS (TS1324)

Related Links

• Typhoon FITOW Makes Minor Detour October 4, 2013
• Two Cyclones Moving Toward Japan October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery