Typhoon Jangmi

Landfall | Summary
Posting Date: September 28, 2008, 9:00:00 AM

For the second time this month and the fourth time this year, a severe typhoon has struck Taiwan. Typhoon Jangmi made landfall as a borderline Category 3/4 storm near the coastal town of Ilan in eastern Taiwain at 3:40 p.m. local time (0740 UTC). Maximum sustained winds at landfall reached 130 mph, with higher gusts. Prior to the storm’s arrival, authorities in Taiwan closed most schools and government offices. Jangmi, which had been a strong Category 4 typhoon a day earlier had weakened by the time it reached the island. According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, maximum recorded rainfall ranged from 605 millimeters (24 inches) to 1073 millimeters (42 inches), depending on location. The Disaster Relief Center reported that dozens of villagers were evacuated from the scenic mountain resort of Lushan in central Taiwan, where all 20 hotels were ordered closed. Near the capital of Tapei, trees were uprooted and building scaffolding blown off. Early damage reports indicate that strong winds overturned a bus on a highway in Ilan, injuring three passengers. Disaster authorities reported 100 landslides and 109 evacuations. The typhoon has caused significant disruptions to airline service and power has been cut to 86,000 households. The island's two major ports, in Keelung and Kaohsiung, were shut down. Typhoon Jangmi, which means “rose” in Korean, is expected to weaken significantly due to the rugged terrain of Taiwan. According to the Joint Warning Typhoon Center, the storm will likely make a second landfall in Fujian Province, China, on Monday evening before changing course toward Japan. On average, about two typhoons affect Taiwan each year. The high activity in Taiwan this season is related to the strong westward steering and residual La Nina Conditions that have persisted in that part of the world. Typhoon Sinlaku, which hit Taiwan earlier this month, killed at least 20 people and caused extensive flooding, landslides and crop damage. Overall, the tropical cyclone season in the Northwest Pacific in is on track to be less active than average. Using information about the current meteorological parameters of this storm, the AIR tropical cyclone team will run numerous simulations through its Southeast Asia typhoon model and will provide additional information via a CATWeek NewsALERT on Monday.

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Posting Date: September 28, 2008, 9:00:00 AM