A SURGE of storms is marching on Japan and China, and two of them — just 1500km apart — are likely to become ‘super typhoons’ within days.
As the remains of one tropical storm smashes itself against China’s north coast, two typhoons, one tropical storm, one forming storm and one possible storm are forming a firing line across the Pacific.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States has issued bulletin highlighting the unusually high number of intense weather depressions forming in the Northern Pacific..
Tropical Storm Linfa, the western-most-storm, is in the process of expending its energy over the South China Sea. It is slowly drifting northwards with winds of 100km/h.
The next storm in the chain is Typhoon Chan-Hom. It has been presenting winds of over 185km/h and is continuing to strengthen as it approaches the Japanese island of Okinawa.
The third and biggest storm is Typhoon Nangka, currently moving northwest near the island of Guam. Its winds are expected to reach 260km h within the next two days.
NOAA says it does not expect the swirling winds to the southwest of Hawaii to develop into a tropical storm, even though it is beginning to look like one on the satellite images.
However, another swirl — this time to Hawaii’s southeast — has been noted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre as being likely to become a “significant tropical cyclone” within the next 24 hours.
Heavy weather ahead ... the chain of storms approaching Japan and China as assembled by the Source: Supplied
The hurricane season runs from May 15 through to November 30.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centre earlier this year warned of a 70 per cent chance that the eastern Pacific would experience an “above-normal season”, with between 7-12 hurricanes forming this year. Between five and eight of these could become “major hurricanes”, it reports.
The seasonal average is just eight hurricanes, four of which become “major”.
NOAA has also reported “an incredibly active” start to the Atlantic hurricane season.
On the march ... Tropical Storm Linfa, far left, is followed by Typhoon Chan-Hom, Typhoon Nangka, a depression not likely to turn into a storm, and another that is. Source: Source: Supplied
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