>>Super Typhoon Yutu, the strongest storm on Earth in 2018, slammed into the Northern Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean on Wednesday. The storm savagely battered the islands of Tinian, Saipan and Rota, with the eye completely engulfing Tinian at midday Wednesday. Super Typhoon Yutu is estimated to contain maximum sustained winds of at least 180 miles per hour, with higher gusts.

Why it matters: This storm is the strongest typhoon ever to strike the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and likely the strongest ever to strike the U.S. and its territories. “This is an historically significant event,” tweeted Michael Lowry, a FEMA hurricane specialist.

Based on satellite data that meteorologists use to estimate storm intensity, Super Typhoon Yutu is one of the strongest tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons) observed on Earth in the modern record, on par with Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. That storm devastated the city of Tacloban in the Philippines, killing thousands.

Super Typhoon Yutu is located in an area of extremely warm waters and light upper level winds, and is making a run at achieving its maximum potential intensity for that area.<<

https://www.axios.com/category-5-super-typhoon-yutu-slams-mariana-islands-c5f68826-3295-4951-a38e-bf4dc945fa05.html

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=142.29,12.87,568/loc=143.974,16.047

PermeateFree said:

>>Super Typhoon Yutu, the strongest storm on Earth in 2018, slammed into the Northern Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean on Wednesday. The storm savagely battered the islands of Tinian, Saipan and Rota, with the eye completely engulfing Tinian at midday Wednesday. Super Typhoon Yutu is estimated to contain maximum sustained winds of at least 180 miles per hour, with higher gusts.

Why it matters: This storm is the strongest typhoon ever to strike the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and likely the strongest ever to strike the U.S. and its territories. “This is an historically significant event,” tweeted Michael Lowry, a FEMA hurricane specialist.

Based on satellite data that meteorologists use to estimate storm intensity, Super Typhoon Yutu is one of the strongest tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons) observed on Earth in the modern record, on par with Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. That storm devastated the city of Tacloban in the Philippines, killing thousands.

Super Typhoon Yutu is located in an area of extremely warm waters and light upper level winds, and is making a run at achieving its maximum potential intensity for that area.<<

https://www.axios.com/category-5-super-typhoon-yutu-slams-mariana-islands-c5f68826-3295-4951-a38e-bf4dc945fa05.html

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=142.29,12.87,568/loc=143.974,16.047

The 2018 Pacific Typhoon season.

There are at least as many Pacific typhoons as Tropical Cyclones (Australia) and Hurricanes (USA) combined.

Typhoon Yutu

Category 5 super typhoon, gusting to 305 km/h
Pressure: 905 hPa
Movement: WNW at 11 kn (20 km/h; 15 mph)

Early on October 21, a tropical depression developed to the east of the Mariana Islands, with the JMA initiating advisories on the system. Shortly afterward, the JTWC assigned the storm the identifier 31W. The system began to strengthen, becoming a tropical storm several hours later, and the JMA named the system Yutu. Favorable conditions, including low wind shear and high ocean-surface temperatures, allowed Yutu to explosively intensify on the following day, with the storm reaching severe tropical storm strength and then typhoon intensity a few hours later.

From October 23 to 24, Yutu continued to organize and explosively intensify, reaching Category 5 super typhoon intensity on October 24. The typhoon continued to strengthen and displayed a healthy convective structure, while moving towards the island of Saipan. Later on the same day, Typhoon Yutu made landfall on the island of Tinian, just south of Saipan, at Category 5 intensity, with 1-minute sustained winds of 290 km/h, becoming the most powerful storm on record to impact the northern Mariana Islands.

Some typhoons last for so long that they end up hitting Ireland. Last time I checked, more tropical cyclones had hit Ireland than had hit South America.

> Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013

The 2013 Pacific typhoon season was the most active Pacific typhoon season since 2004, as well as the deadliest since 1975.

Typhoon Haiyan destructively impacted Philippines as a Category 5 super typhoon, killing more than 6,300 people.

So 2013 had a Yutu, too.

Michael V said:

So 2013 had a Yutu, too.

They probably run out of names for X and Y.

party_pants said:

Michael V said:

So 2013 had a Yutu, too.

They probably run out of names for X and Y.

Names get retired, if that tropical revolving storm causes too much havoc and death. I have experienced three Atlantic Hurricanes. All three names have been retired. Betse (1965), Isidore, Lili (both 2002).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Betsy#Retirement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Isidore#Retirement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Lili#Retirement

Michael V said:

So 2013 had a Yutu, too.

Happened to me to like it happened to you to