File:Super Typhoon Mangkhut (MODIS 2018-09-17).jpg

English: On September 14, 2018, Super Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong) was taking direct aim at the Philippines and packing maximum sustained winds of about 167 mph (269 km/h)—a strong Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the monster storm approaching the Philippines on that same day. Mangkhut sported a large cloud-filled eye and tight convective bands at the time the image was captured. It also appeared to be elongated, suggesting that wind shear was affecting the strength of the system.

In the early hours of September 15, Super Typhoon Mangkhut blew into Cagayan Province near the northern tip of Luzon, one of the most populated areas of the Philippine islands. Local reports described wind speeds of 205 kilometers (130 miles) per hour. The storm stretched nearly 900 kilometers (600 miles) across, with an eye 50 kilometers (30 miles) wide. It is the strongest tropical cyclone in any ocean basin so far this year.

After walloping the Philippines, Typhoon Mangkhut took aim at southern China. The storm made landfall at about 5:00 p.m. local time on September 16 in Guangdong Province. Maximum sustained winds were about 107 mph (172 km/h), with much higher gusts, at landfall. Once on land, the winds slowed quickly although heavy rain and storm surge continued to create extremely hazardous conditions. In the afternoon of September 16, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued its last report, anticipating the imminent dissipation of Mangkhut well inland.

Although only the first damage reports are coming in, it is clear Super Typhoon Mangkhut was a destructive, killer storm. When it crossed the U.S. territory of Guam on September 13, it knocked out 80 percent of the island’s electric power. The Philippines suffered more severe damage, with downed trees, damaged homes, and landslides being reported, along with at least 64 dead. In China, three deaths have been attributed to Mangkhut from the initial landfall, with more than 100 injured in and near Hong Kong. One death has been reported from Taiwan.