Monday, September 23, 2013

Usagi Inland Over China; Hong Kong Avoids Worst Case Scenario

Published: Sep 23, 2013, 6:35 AM EDT weather.com

Usagi made landfall as a typhoon in China's Guangdong Province in the city of Shanwei, about 90 miles east-northeast of Kowloon, Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 119 mph at Shanwei around the time of landfall, and the barometric pressure plunged to about 940 millibars (27.8 inches of mercury). Chinese weather authorities said landfall occurred at 7:40 p.m. local time (7:40 a.m. EDT U.S. time) on Sunday.
(PHOTOS: Usagi's Impact)
According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, as of early Monday morning (U.S. time), Usagi was centered over central Guangdong Province and had weakened to a tropical depression. While the winds from Usagi have subsided, locally heavy rain will continue inland over China, which could trigger flash flooding.
Prior to hitting China, Usagi was a super typhoon. 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.
(MORE: Usagi Kills More than 30 People)
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.
Here are the impacts by location for Usagi:

Hong Kong

A sustained wind of 56 mph (90 km/h) and a wind gust of 76 mph (123 km/h) was reported at Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, at 9 p.m. Sunday local time.
Tides peaked at 1 to 2 feet above normal levels but are now subsiding.
Local forecast: Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world, with over 7.1 million residents, as of a 2012 estimate.

China

Guangdong Province, where landfall occurred, is taking the brunt of Usagi's impact. The population of Guangdong is about 105 million, making it the third most populous province or state in the world (the top two are in India).
A station pressure of 938.9 millibars, or about 940 millibars at sea level, was measured near the point of landfall in the city of Shanwei at 8 p.m. Hong Kong time Sunday. Winds gusted to 119 mph. Shanwei is a coastal city of over 2 million people.
China's government weather agency has called for 4 to 10 inches of rainfall across much of Guangdong Province along the path of Usagi.
Significant storm surge has been reported around the city of Shantou, east of where Usagi made landfall, due to the large area of onshore winds on the right side of Usagi's circulation.
Local forecast: Guangzhou

Earlier in Usagi's path:

Taiwan

The center of Usagi passed south of the southern tip of Taiwan.
Impacts: Surge flooding/battering waves (eastern coast especially) and flooding rain/mudslides (central, eastern Taiwan).
More than 30 inches of rain fell in some locations as Usagi passed by.
Local forecast: Taipei

Northern Philippines

The center of Usagi passed north of the north coast of Luzon on Saturday, local time.
The Batanes Islands, in the extreme northern Philippines north of Luzon, took a direct hit. Basco Airport reported a sustained wind of 112 mph, then went nearly calm as the eye passed overhead and the pressure dropped to 930 millibars.
Heavy rain has fallen in parts of the northern Philippines, where the typhoon was named Odette.
Local forecast: Manila

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