This is not good. The pressure reported by the National Hurricane Center was 976, then 972, then 967....meanwhile, the storm has developed a perfect eye:
The Advanced Dvorak Technique, a computer program being run by folks at the University of Wisconsin that assesses storm intensity, now shows a major rapid intensification burst:
I can only expect that when the National Hurricane Center next reports, it will be calling this storm a Category 2 or even perhaps a Category 3....
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This is a huge hurricane/typhoon heading quickly, and imminently, towards taiwan.
The storm itself is roughly as wide as the island nation is long, so very little will be left unaffected.
The big, current, story in the Atlantic is, of course, hurrican/tropical storm (there is some confusion on the status of the storm over the last 12 hours) Ingrid. Regardless of how it is classified, Ingrid is going to cause major flooding in Mexico.
Update:
The new forecast track of Neoguri is shown above as well as the location of two nuclear power plants.
[Tracks of storms in the Northwest Pacific basin, 2007.]
Just out of curiosity, who determined, and how, just where the demarcations would be for what determines tropical storm -> hurricane -> this category vs. that category? Why, for example, 74mph winds? Why not 75 or 70?!
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale came about in the early 1970's. It purpose is to predict damage to building and other structures on land. The demarcation of 74mph is somewhat arbitrary; however, unanchored mobile homes and trailers will tip over in winds above that value. The real intent seems to have been to keep the values "neat," 0-4 is a 5 unit increment.
Cat 1's will usually result in minimal damage, Cat 2's take off some roofs, damage mobile homes, Cat 3's take off roofs & awnings, cause extensive damage to mobile homes, Cat 4's damage structure walls, bring high storm surge, Cat 5's level houses, spawn tornadoes, bring storm surge that floods and so on.
Thanks, OB!
Chris, you'll appreciate the latest at xkcd.
http://xkcd.com/453/