FRANCISCO Drenches Okinawa, Moves Northeast

FRANCISCO weakens to a wet tropical storm

Tropical Storm FRANCISCO was located near 26.8ºN, 130.6ºE at 14:00 UTC, moving Northeast at about 12km/hr. The storm was located about 260 km east of Okinawa, as of posting.

A very wet Tropical Storm FRANCISCO moves closer to mainland Japan as a covetous Super Typhoon LEKIMA looks on.  VISIBLE/INFRARED satellite image (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) recorded at 13:30UTC on October 24, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

Meantime, Super Typhoon LEKIMA with sustained winds of more than 240 km/hr and gusting up to 300 km/hr was moving northwestward at an average forward speed of about 25 km/hr. LEKIMA was located about 500km ESE of Iwo To (Iwo Jima) Island, at 14:00UTC.

Majestic Super Typhoon LEKIMA. SW IR satellite image recorded at 13:30UTC on October 24, 2013.  Image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

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.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is running out of options to store radioactive contaminated rainwater as a very wet FRANCISCO approaches.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has started  transferring contaminated rainwater into underground pools, originally deemed too leaky. The precipitation from recent typhoons and extreme rain events have been accumulating in barriers around radioactive waste water tanks, reported NHK.

TEPCO has been storing the most contaminated rainwater in tanks and in the basement of a turbine building. But the tanks are now full, the report said

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

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

Typhoon FRANCISCO and TD 27 Headed for Tokyo

FRANCISCO back into fourth gear

Typhoon FRANCISCO is currently targeting Tokyo area, but will significantly weaken before potentially making a landfall. FIRE-EARTH Models show the two system still likely to interact, if favorable conditions continue.

Typhoon FRANCISCO

• Time: 14:00UTC – October 20, 2013
• Movement: NW (305 degrees) at 08km/hr
• Position: Near 18.9ºN, 136.8E
• Location: About 1,240km Southeast (130degrees) of Okinawa, Japan
• Max Sustained Winds: 235km/hr [Cat 4B on FIRE-EARTH Scale]
• Max Wind Gusts: 280km/hr
• Significant Wave Height:   18m
• Source: FIRE-EARTH and others

Typhoon FRANCISCO. VISIBLE/INFRARED satellite image (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) recorded at 13:32UTC on October 20, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC. 

Projected Paths of TY FRANCISCO and TD TWENTYSEVEN (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement). Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC. 

More details to follow…

Related Links

• 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

FRANCISCO Shifts Up Into Major Typhoon Gear

FRANCISCO strengthens into Cat 4B storm, could become a super typhoon

Packing sustained winds of about 230km/hr, FRANCISCO has intensified to a Cat 4B typhoon force, with a significant probability [P=74%] of further strengthening into a super typhoon, albeit briefly, with winds in excess of 250 km/h.

Typhoon FRANCISCO

Time: 06:00UTC – October 18, 2013
Movement: NW at 3km/hr
Position: Near 14.6ºN, 141.8E
Location: About 340km WNW (290 degrees) of Hagåtña, Guam, Mariana Islands
Max Sustained Winds: 230km/hr
Max Wind Gusts: 275km/hr
Significant Wave Height: ~ 10m
Source: FIRE-EARTH and others

FRANCISCO is expected to intensify to a Cat 5 Super Typhoon Force, before weakening as it moves toward Japan region. —FIRE-EARTH.

Typhoon FRANCISCO. VIS/IR satellite image (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) recorded at 06:32UTC on October 18, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.
More details to follow…

Related Links

• Typhoon FRANCISCO Inching Toward Japan October 17, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Typhoon FRANCISCO Inching Toward Japan

FRANCISCO, the 27th Typhoon of 2013

Typhoon FRANCISCO

Time: 06:00UTC – October 17, 2013
Movement: WSW (245 degrees) at 3km/hr
Position: Near 11.2ºN, 142.8E
Location: Near 370km SW of Hagåtña, Guam, Mariana Islands
Max Sustained Winds: 135km/hr
Max Wind Gusts: 165km/hr
Significant Wave Height: ~ 8m
Source: FIRE-EARTH and others

FRANCISCO is expected to intensify to a Cat 4C Typhoon force, before gradually weakening as it moves toward Japan region. —FIRE-EARTH.

Typhoon FRANCISCO. Visible/Shortwave IR (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) satellite image recorded at 04:32UTC on October 17, 2013. The typhoon was located SSW of Guam. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

Typhoon FRANCISCO with the projected path. IR satellite image (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) recorded at 04:32UTC on October 17, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

Typhoon Stats for NW Pacific

• The 60 year average (1951-2010) No of Typhoons: 20.9
• No of typhoons so far this year: 27
• Percent Increase: 29.2 [Calculated by FIRE-EARTH blog]

More details to follow…

Related Links

• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery