Super Typhoon Megi

[Ptarmigan]

The first super typhoon of the year, Megi.



It has winds of 175 mph and a central pressure of 908 mb.

[srainhoutx]

[srainhoutx]

Wow...

[txflagwaver]

http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/

[Ptarmigan]

Megi is the strongest tropical cyclone in the world for 2010. It has sustained winds of 180 mph and gusts of 220 mph and central pressure of 893 millibars. They did recon on Megi. That is more intense than Igor, Ike, Katrina, or Rita.

Everyone in Megi's track NEEDS TO GET OUT AND TAKE COVER!!!!!!!

I notice that Hong Kong is in the 5 day cone and they need to watch Megi too. If it hits Hong Kong, it will be really catastrophic.

Even though West Pacific is not very active due to La Nina, they bring us surprises, like in this case, Megi.

[Ptarmigan]

Code: Select all

618 

wtpn31 pgtw 171500
msgid/genadmin/navmarfcstcen Pearl Harbor hi/jtwc//
subj/tropical cyclone warning//
rmks/
1. Super typhoon 15w (Megi) warning nr 019
   01 active tropical cyclone in northwestpac
   Max sustained winds based on one-minute average
   wind radii valid over open water only
    ---
   warning position:
   171200z --- near 18.1n 125.1e
     movement past six hours - 250 degrees at 11 kts
     position accurate to within 020 nm
     position based on eye fixed by satellite
   present wind distribution:
   Max sustained winds - 155 kt, gusts 190 kt
   wind radii valid over open water only
   radius of 064 kt winds - 055 nm northeast quadrant
                            040 nm southeast quadrant
                            050 nm southwest quadrant
                            060 nm northwest quadrant
   radius of 050 kt winds - 095 nm northeast quadrant
                            065 nm southeast quadrant
                            080 nm southwest quadrant
                            095 nm northwest quadrant
   radius of 034 kt winds - 140 nm northeast quadrant
                            105 nm southeast quadrant
                            125 nm southwest quadrant
                            145 nm northwest quadrant
   repeat posit: 18.1n 125.1e

Megi is about average size based on wind swath thankfully. That does not mean this should not be taken seriously. Megi NEEDS to be taken seriously since it is an intense super typhoon!

[srainhoutx]

1900Z...

[Ptarmigan]

What a monsterous and impressive storm Megi is. We should have recon. If we did that today, there would be many storms that would challenge and beat Super Typhoon Tip.

[srainhoutx]

Almost sunrise in the West Pacific. Those that enjoy visible imagery, save those images. They can make great screen savers.

[srainhoutx]

Sunrise...

[srainhoutx]

Going to be a tough day in Luzon...

[texoz]

That is a monster of a storm. What's the worldwide record for sustained winds? Is it 190mph?

This storm is flirting with that record.

[wxman57]

That is a monster of a storm. What's the worldwide record for sustained winds? Is it 190mph?

This storm is flirting with that record.

I believe it had 175 kt (200 mph) winds earlier. Probably stronger than Super Typhoon Tip.

[Ptarmigan]

I believe it had 175 kt (200 mph) winds earlier. Probably stronger than Super Typhoon Tip.

200 mph winds?????????????????? That is really intense!!!!!!! That is about close to a hypercane we would get. Tip was very large, about the size of the Western United States. It would take several Katrinas to fit inside Tip.

Think about that hitting Hong Kong or Shanghai at that strength??????????? That would really be catastrophic!!!!!!! I thought Ike was really bad due to its monsterous size when it ravaged Houston area.

[Ptarmigan]

Code: Select all

PAGASA announces landfall via twitter:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
OCTOBER 18,2010

Based on our Aparri Radar THE "EYE" OF TYPHOON JUAN HAS MADE LANDFALL AT SIERRA MADRE MT. ESTAGNO POINT AT DIVILACAN PEAK AT 11:25 AM.

Megi just made landfall. I have read it had a central pressure of 885 millibars. That is more intense than Gilbert. If it was 885 mb at landfall, it would be the most intense ever recorded to make landfall. This beats the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane.

[wxman57]

I believe it had 175 kt (200 mph) winds earlier. Probably stronger than Super Typhoon Tip.

200 mph winds?????????????????? That is really intense!!!!!!! That is about close to a hypercane we would get. Tip was very large, about the size of the Western United States. It would take several Katrinas to fit inside Tip.

Think about that hitting Hong Kong or Shanghai at that strength??????????? That would really be catastrophic!!!!!!! I thought Ike was really bad due to its monstrous size when it ravaged Houston area.

Megi may have peaked at 180-190 kts (210-220 mph). Just depends on how the recon winds are interpreted. Ike's wind field was much larger than Megi's, and that was a big factor in the storm surge Ike produced. Megi was more of a large tornado hitting Luzon.

[Ptarmigan]

Megi may have peaked at 180-190 kts (210-220 mph). Just depends on how the recon winds are interpreted. Ike's wind field was much larger than Megi's, and that was a big factor in the storm surge Ike produced. Megi was more of a large tornado hitting Luzon.

That's really intense! Megi is about average size thankfully. Now, had Megi been large, that would be much worse. Now, if Ike had been a monsterous hurricane with +200 mph winds that would be really catastrophic for us.

[TexasMetBlake]

So was a record broken or not? I know a record can't be broken unless there is a ground observation at the point of landfall. I'm not sure that any instrumentation would have survived the eyewall to gauge the lowest pressure.

A storm like that begs the question, what would happen if a storm of Megi's intensity hit Houston/Galveston. With sustained winds, according to wxman, possible exceeding 210 mph, it is hard to even imagine the calamity that would besiege us in an event like that. We're talking complete devastation for tens of miles inland. With sustained winds of 200 mph at landfall in Galveston, devastating Cat 4 and 5 winds would penetrate downtown Houston and major hurricane winds well beyond that. We're talking hurricane conditions in Oklahoma!

I have looked through tropical books here at school and can't find a reduction formula for wind in the boundary layer after a hurricane makes landfall. Anybody have an idea of what it would be. It would be 'fun' to see what conditions would be like in the Spring/Woodlands area (parents and former my former residents) if a 200 mph cane hit. For those that say it can't happen, keep in mind that some of the most powerful cyclones in the world has developed in our backyard...Labor Day Cane, Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Gilbert, MItch, Andrew and of course Carla...which reached Cat. 5 just off the Texas coast. So it CAN happen.

[srainhoutx]

Megi is now back to Cat 4 status heading toward Hong Kong...

[srainhoutx]

Very impressive recovery after Luzon for Megi...