Super Typhoon Vongfong Intensifies to Strongest Typhoon of 2014; Storm on Direct Path to Hit Japan
With people in Japan still reeling from the impact of the recent Typhoon Phanfone, weather experts from across the world are warning the residents in the areas hard hit from that storm that they are about to be slammed again, this time by Typhoon Vongfong, a monster storm system that was recently upgraded to super typhoon status.
Experts at The Weather Channel (TWC) report that on Monday, Vongfong had been measured as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. However, rapid intensification overnight and into Tuesday has now created the strongest typhoon on record for the 2014 season.
As of 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday (2:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday in the United States) in Japan, the eye of this super typhoon was located approximately 700 miles south-southeast of Kadina Air Base on Okinawa. The storm is currently moving in a westerly direction at approximately 10 miles per hour.
Weather experts say that environmental conditions, including low vertical wind shear and warm western Pacific waters, have allowed Typhoon Vongfong to intensify "explosively."
The storm system has reportedly risen above and beyond the 157-miles per hour threshold that has officially transformed it into the equivalent status of a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. The U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center most recently measured winds in the storm system moving at up to 185 miles per hour.
For the latest news & updates, follow reporter Bary Alyssa Johnson on Twitter: @MissBary
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