Typhoon Fitow

Fitow has strengthened into a typhoon and is expected to drift northward then turn west to northwest over the weekend.

This track will take the storm across the southern Ryukyu Islands then just north of Taiwan with a landfall expected in eastern China by later Sunday or Monday.

The Korean Peninsula is not out of harm's way from this storm as a trough to the north will pull much of Fitow's moisture across the Korean Peninsula after the storm makes landfall. This will bring a high flooding potential to the region.

Fitow will continue to slowly strengthen during the next day or two as it churns north to northwestward over the warm waters of the Philippine Sea.

Maximum sustained winds within Fitow should peak at around 145 to 160 kph (90 to 100 mph, equal to that of a strong Category 1 or minimal Category 2 hurricane) Friday night or Saturday local time.