Typhoon Usagi, a strong tropical cyclone in the western Pacific Ocean, has made landfall in China's Guangdong Province in the city of Shanwei, about 90 miles east-northeast of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The typhoon is weakening over land, with winds now equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane. Based on Chinese radar imagery, landfall appeared to occur Sunday evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Hong Kong time (7 a.m. and 8 a.m. EDT U.S. time).
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, as of 11 p.m. Hong Kong time Sunday (11 a.m. EDT Sunday U.S. time), Usagi was centered near Huizhou City, Guangdong, or 60 miles northeast of Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is moving toward the west-northwest at 18 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds are estimated at 90 mph.
Usagi Forecast Path
Usagi will continue to track toward the west to west-northwest. This track will take the center of Usagi just north of Hong Kong overnight Sunday into Monday local time; that is when the center will make its closest approach to Hong Kong.
(WUNDERMAP: Tracking Usagi)
The storm has already dumped more than a foot of rain in parts of Taiwan and is blamed for the deaths of two people in The Philippines. Usagi will pack very strong winds and heavy rain, both of which present significant danger to those in the storm's path.
Latest IR Satellite Image
A tropical cyclone is dubbed a "super typhoon" when maximum sustained winds reach at least 150 mph. Usagi underwent a period of rapid intensification from early Wednesday through midday Thursday (U.S. Eastern time), going from a 55-knot (65-mph) tropical storm to a 140-knot (160-mph) super typhoon in just 33 hours, or just under a 100 mph intensification, based on satellite estimates of intensity.
By Friday night, though, Usagi underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, causing the storm to weaken slightly. In addition, the outer rain bands began to interact with Taiwan and Luzon, disrupting the storm's low-level inflow, further weakening the storm.
On Saturday, animated multi-spectral satellite imagery indicated a resurgence in the storm's eyewall development, but the typhoon was never able to regain its former power before making landfall.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/typhoon-usagi-threatens-taiwan-hong-kong-20130919
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