Typhoon Hagibis Pummels Japan!

Written by Team Morecast

Typhoon Hagibis made landfall on the Izu Peninsula of Japan on Saturday evening. With winds of 144kph and gusts up to 160kph at landfall, Hagibis is the second typhoon to strike Japan within the last month. So far, 35 people have been killed, and hundreds have been injured, with dozens more missing, or unaccounted for. 500,000 homes are in the dark as crews are feverishly trying to restore the power. Many government officials and residents alike are calling this the worst storm to strike Japan since Typhoon Ida in 1958. Tokyo, one of the world’s most populous metropolitan regions, was brought to a complete standstill on Saturday as Hagibis roared through.

 

Although the winds were damaging, the most destructive facet of Hagibis was the rainfall. A record breaking total of 939mm was recorded in the town of Hakone, while amounts between 200-500mm were observed elsewhere in the country. These staggering amounts of rain have led to widespread flooding as many rivers have come over their banks, and levees have collapsed. Landslides have also been numerous in mountainous regions. Several hundred of Japan’s iconic bullet trains have been damaged as the rail yards they sit in were flooded.

 

Countless dramatic scenes have unfolded throughout the country in the last 24 hours. As residents have been trapped on their roofs, military helicopters have come to their aid by airlifting them to safety. Unfortunately, not all of the people being rescued made it to safety. One 77 year old woman fell to her death while being rescued, as rescuers incorrectly put her harness on while she was being airlifted. In Tokyo Bay, a 1,925 ton cargo ship sank in the violent surf. It’s crew members were tossed into the bay, but luckily were rescued promptly.

 

 

Despite Japan being well prepared for tropical cyclones, Hagibis delivered a particularly hard blow to the country. The extremely high rainfall rates were just too high for the infrastructure to handle, and water tables have been running high since the last storm. Nonetheless, had Japan not been as prepared as it is, the devastation from Hagibis would have been far greater.

Typhoon Hagibis Targets Japan!

Written by Meteo Expert Josef Lukas

As Typhoon Hagibis is heading towards Japan, the island nation is bracing for it’s impact. The storm is currently churning offshore, packing winds of 162kph, and is expected to make landfall late on Saturday night. Hagibis is very dangerous not just because of it’s strength, but it’s sheer size. It’s wind field spans 1400km, which is nearly half the length of Japan.

Before coming down to it’s current pressure of 943hPa, Hagibis went from 992hPa to 915hPa within 24 hours, making it the ninth most rapidly intensifying storm in recorded history, and one of the most intense tropical cyclones of 2019. Forecasts are calling for Hagibis to have a central pressure of 950hPa as it makes landfall near Tokyo. If this occurs, it would be the strongest storm to ever hit that region.

Hagibis has potential to break records as it is expected to bring wind gusts of up to 216kph, 300-500mm of rain, with some spots seeing up to 800mm, and devastating storm surge, with water levels possibly reaching as high as 13m. If those effects weren’t bad enough, the storm will make landfall during a full moon phase, which will lead to higher than normal tides, and only exacerbate the coastal flooding.

Although Japan is no stranger to typhoons, with 11 typhoons approaching, and two directly hitting the country on average every year, Hagibis is coming on the heels of Typhoon Faxai, which struck the region last month. That storm brought record breaking gusts of 207kph, several people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. Many residents remain in shelters, while numerous homes still have plastic tarps in place as makeshift roofs.


In preparation of the storm, flights have been canceled, trains halted, and both the Rugby World Cup and Japanese Grand Prix, have postponed games until Sunday. Supermarket shelves have been completely wiped out as shoppers stock up on supplies to get them through the storm.

Super Typhoon Hagibis Barrels Over the Marianas, Could Threaten Japan This Weekend!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Typhoon Hagibis, just a tropical storm early Monday, underwent a period of rapid intensification through early Tuesday. In fact, Hagibis gained 100 mph of intensity in less than 24 hours, the fastest intensification of any Pacific basin cyclone since 1996. Islands in the northern part of the Marianas bore the brunt of this monster storm. Now the cyclone is moving back over open waters with Japan potentially in the crosshairs this upcoming weekend.

 

 

Hagibis has been moving west-northwest and passed some distance north of the most populated of the Marianas group. Model guidance is in good agreement that the cyclone will turn northwestward, then eventually curve to the north and northeast. Where this occurs will determine whether the cyclone makes a glancing blow on Japan or a destructive landfall. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely in the next few days. Later this week, Hagibis will encounter cooler water temperatures, leading to a weakening trend as it approaches Japan. Hagibis will remain a large and powerful cyclone, however, and significant impacts are likely. A direct landfall would mean life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds, and serious flash flooding. Major sporting events scheduled for this weekend in Japan like the Rugby World Cup and the F1 Japanese Grand Prix could face significant disruptions.

 

Powerful, Unusual Hurricane Lorenzo Churning Towards the Azores

Written by Team Morecast

 

Hurricane Lorenzo achieved category five status late Saturday night over the warmer-than-normal waters of the central Atlantic. At that point Lorenzo was the strongest hurricane on record that far north and east. Since last night, Lorenzo has weakened significantly and is now a category three hurricane. Additional weakening is likely, however Lorenzo still poses a significant threat to the Azores.

 

 

Lorenzo is a large and powerful cyclone causing increased wave and surf activity all the way from portions of northeast South America to the Caribbean and the U.S. East coast. Fortunately for those regions, rough surf will be the only impact they’ll ever see from Lorenzo. The story is different for the Azores, however. Model guidance brings Lorenzo near or over the Azores, especially the westernmost islands, by Tuesday into Wednesday. Additional weakening is likely, but Lorenzo may still be a hurricane by the time it reaches the Azores. If it were to retain hurricane strength, Lorenzo would be the first hurricane to move through the Azores since Gordon in 2006. Damaging winds, storm surge and high waves, and locally flooding rains are expected regardless. The worst impacts are likely for the westernmost islands in the chain, Flores and Corvo.

 

 

Beyond mid-week, Lorenzo will continue to accelerate to the northeast. Some models bring the storm close to the British Isles late in the week, accompanied by gusty winds, heavy rains, and very large waves. However, other models predict Lorenzo will be absorbed by a larger system well to the west of the U.K. Interests in western Europe should pay close attention to forecasts in the next few days.