Super Typhoon Mangkhut forms in the Pacific, barreling towards Philippines and Taiwan
In the wake of Barijat near Taiwan, Super Typhoon Mangkut could again threaten the country with flooding downpours.
Tropical Storm Barijat formed off the southwest coast of Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon, local time.
Prior to strengthening to a tropical storm, the system produced heavy rain across northern Taiwan on Saturday when an excess of 300 mm (12 inches) of rain fell across portions of New Taipei and Taipei cities.
The deluge continued on Sunday as additional rain fell across the area. A two-day rainfall total in Shilin District, along the northern coast of Taiwan, reached nearly 500 mm (20 inches).
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flooding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flooding</a> and torrential rain in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taipei?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Taipei</a> and New Taipei Saturday evening. <a href="https://t.co/CIRZmBDMJM">https://t.co/CIRZmBDMJM</a> <a href="https://t.co/SvK5om8lfd">pic.twitter.com/SvK5om8lfd</a></p>— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNews886) <a href="https://twitter.com/TaiwanNews886/status/1038393765570871298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Downpours such as this are expected to continue into Tuesday, though will concentrate largely to the south of Taipei.
The heaviest rain and most likely areas to have flooding will be across eastern and southern parts of the island as a tropical low slowly passes nearby early in the week.
Gusty winds will be felt across southern Taiwan in areas such as Taitung, Pingtung and Kaohsiung counties.
Wind, however, is not expected to get strong enough to cause damage.
After Barijat pulls away from Taiwan, residents of not only Taiwan but also the Philippines and southeastern China will have to monitor powerful Super Typhoon Mangkhut.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk expects Mangkhut to remain a powerful typhoon for much of the week. There is the potential that Super Typhoon Mangkhut could strengthen even further, to the equivelent of a Category 5 hurricane in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Residents from Guam to Saipan were being battered by Mangkhut on Monday, with peak wind gusts in Guam of 130 km/h (81 mph). Stronger winds, possibly up to 195 km/h (120 mph), are likely near the center of the storm to the north, towards the United States Northern Mariana Islands and the city of Rota.
In addition to the damaging winds, wind-whipped rainfall up to 250 mm (10 inches) can lead to flash flooding.
Beyond the mainly open waters of the Pacific, Houk said, "A west-to-northwest path will continue the rest of the week with the likelihood of a strengthening typhoon into the Philippine Sea."
Residents from the northern Philippines into Taiwan and southeastern China should closely monitor the track of Mangkhut and begin making preparations as there is the potential for the cyclone to remain very dangerous as it barrels towards southeastern Asia late this week and into the weekend.
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