Typhoon Tembin Looping Back to Taiwan
27-Aug-12
Tembin made landfall as a Category 2 typhoon on the southern tip of Taiwan on August 23, 2012, near Daren, a small sparsely populated town in Taitung County, Taiwan. The maximum sustained winds at the time of landfall were about 90 knots. The storm weakened rapidly as it traversed across the mountainous regions and was a Category 1 typhoon when it exited Taiwan into the South China Sea. The storm gained strength in the warm South China Sea as it tracked west toward mainland China. Later, the storm looped back and now poses a significant threat to make a second landfall or a close pass near the southeastern tip of Taiwan. The insured losses for this event are not expected to be significant.
Tembin dumped significant amounts of rainfall as it traversed across the southern tip, the Taitung and Pingtung counties. The highest rainfall accumulations of 715 mm were reported in Checheng Township, Pingtung and Daren Township. Taitung County recorded 525 mm of rainfall. Populous cities were spared from the impact of Typhoon Tembin.
Typhoon Tempin Accumulated Precipitation – August 27, 2012
Source: Central Weather Bureau
As of August 27, 2100 UTC, Tembin was approximately 195 nautical miles south of Taipei, Taiwan (near 22.2N, 121.5E) and was moving east-northeast at 11 knots with maximum sustained wind speeds of 55 knots. Tembin is expected to continue to weaken as it moves east-northeast, away from Taiwan and into cooler waters and high wind shears; conditions not conducive to storm intensification.
Temblin was the 14th named storm and the 10th Typhoon of the 2012 Pacific Typhoon Season. Tembin and Typhoon Bolaven formed a binary cyclonic system. This system is formed when there are two simultaneous cyclones moving close together and where one interacts with the other, influencing storm intensities, track trajectories, and complicating the storm prediction reporting. Binary cyclones are not uncommon in the Northwest Pacific basin.
Typhoon Bolaven Storm Track - August 27, 2012
Source: Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Meanwhile, Typhoon Bolaven was 280 nautical miles south southwest of Seoul, South Korea (near 33.9N 125.0E). It was moving north at 16 knots with maximum sustained wind speeds of 70 knots. Bolaven is expected to weaken due to cooler sea surface temperatures and increased wind shear. Bolaven is expected to make landfall in North Korea on Tuesday, August 28.
EQECAT will continue to monitor these events and provide updates when more information becomes available.
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