Category 5 Hagibis Heads Towards Japan

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Category-5-Hagibis-Heads-Towards-Japan-2-Atlantic-Systems-Watch?cm_ven=hp-slot-1

Dr. Jeff Masters · October 7, 2019, 11:59 AM EDT

Super Typhoon Hagibis put on one of the most phenomenal displays of rapid intensification in tropical cyclone history overnight, intensifying from a tropical storm with 60 mph winds to a Category 5 super typhoon with 160 mph winds in the 24 hours ending at 8 am EDT Monday. A 100 mph increase in maximum sustained winds in just 24 hours like Hagibis just saw is a very rare rate of rapid intensification. NOAA's Hurricane Research Division lists only one Northwest Pacific typhoon that did so: Super Typhoon Forrest of 1983.

In the Western Hemisphere, where we have the Hurricane Hunters to more accurately quantify rapid intensification, the record holders are Hurricane Patricia of 2015 (off the Pacific coast of Mexico), which intensified by 120 mph in 24 hours, and the Atlantic’s Hurricane Wilma of 2005 (off of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula), which intensified by 110 mph in 24 hours. Since we are relying only on relatively imprecise satellite estimates of Hagibis’ intensity, it is possible that a hurricane hunter aircraft might have found an even greater rate of intensification.

•••••

tags: extreme weather, severe weather