Super Typhoon Meranti heading for Taiwan

[malaise]

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3426
Earth’s strongest tropical cyclone of 2016 thus far is heading for a potentially destructive encounter with Taiwan. A mere 50-mph tropical storm just two days ago, Super Typhoon Meranti was packing top sustained winds of 155 knots (180 mph) at 12Z (8:00 am EDT) Monday, using the 1-minute peak wind standard employed by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and the National Hurricane Center. (Outside of the U.S., most weather agencies employ a 10-minute wind average; by this standard, Meranti’s peak winds were 115 knots, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.) Meranti has vaulted to Category 5 strength by taking advantage of nearly ideal conditions, including very warm sea-surface temperatures around 30°C (86°F), very low wind shear (below 10 knots), and a fairly moist mid-level atmosphere (60-70% relative humidity).

Another wrinkle now taking shape in the Northwest Pacific
Another factor in Meranti’s track--and a threat in its own right--is Tropical Storm 18, which is gradually strengthening about 300 miles west of Guam. TS 18W could be a Category 3 or 4 typhoon as it approaches Japan’s southern islands on a gradually recurving track. By Wednesday, it’s possible that TS 18W will be close enough to Meranti to trigger the Fuijiwhara effect--the process by which two tropical cyclones begin to rotate cyclonically around a point in between. Should this be the case, it would enhance 18W’s poleward motion--perhaps sending it toward Japan’s populous island of Honshu as a typhoon--while also acting to slow any recurvature of Meranti and potentially increasing its rain- and flood-making potential in China.