Typhoon Lan, currently east of the Philippines, may rapidly intensify into a super typhoon and could eventually pose a threat to Okinawa and mainland Japan beginning this weekend. Lan is currently about 500 miles east of the Philippines, to the north-northwest of Palau, and is about to curl north-northwestward. Thunderstorm clusters are persisting near the center of Lan, and several outer spiral
bands are now present in infrared satellite imagery from the Himawari-8 satellite. Upper-level winds are favorable for development, featuring prominent outflow channels both to the northeast and southwest of Lan’s center. Ample ocean-heat content is also in play. Therefore, Lan is expected to rapidly intensify into a super typhoon – with maximum sustained winds of at least 150 mph – in the next couple of days, according to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast. READ MORE
