Category 5 Supertyphoon Sepat Threatens Taiwan.

Typhoon Sepat underwent rapid intensification yesterday and according to the unoffical Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) it has now attained category 5 supertyphoon status with sustained winds of 160mph.

According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA), this morning (Thursday) at 8am Taiwan time, the centre of typhoon Sepat was 416 miles east northeast of Manila. The storm is currently moving north west at 9mph

The Japanese Meteorological Agency and JTWC both forecast a strike on Taiwan on the 18th August as a category 4 storm.

I arrive in Taipei this evening and will be making my way to southern Taiwan tomorrow morning. This storm has intensified further. The last storm that was stronger than Sepat's current intensity was typhoon Angela in 1995.

More updates to come....

The image below is courtesy of NRL Monterry.