Typhoon Nepartak 2016 [PATH MAP] – Taiwan Readies for Head On, Direct Collision With Winds Up To 157 MPH; The Forecast and Trajectory

Taiwan braces for a Category 5 Typhoon

By Allen Marcon, CP Contributor Wednesday, July 06, 2016

The first super typhoon of the season Nepartak looks like it will reach landfall in Taiwan within the next 24 to 48 hours.

The current path that the storm sees Nepartak landfall in Taiwan then head north to China before dissipating near the Korean peninsula sometime next week.

Category 5

Currently Nepartak is expected to become a strong category 5 typhoon. A category 5 storm can have winds which can clock up past 157 miles per hour. Storms of this caliber are stated to be able to cause catastrophic damage in any area that the storm will affect.

It is unknown how strong Nepartak will actually be when it reaches landfall sometime Thursday or early Friday morning this week. Meteorologists believe that the storm should be at least a category 4 storm when it hits or worse.

Fortunately much of Eastern Taiwan is not heavily populated. But the Taiwan Central Emergency Operation Center has warned the Taiwanese public that an excess of 100 millimeters of flooding water is expected to fall when Nepartak hits. Families are asked to find a safe, dry place and stay indoors and out of the strong winds.

Longest streak without a storm in history

The good news is that Nepartak marks the first major storm since Dec 17, 2015. This means that it has been 200 consecutive days without any major storms affecting the area. The previous record was 198 days set back in 1973.

This is an opposite trend from what happened in 2015 where Asia experienced multiple storms during typhoon season. Last year Taiwan alone had two storms make landfall during typhoon season, one in Early August and one in late September.

China also bracing for landing

Southern China is also bracing for the coming of Nepartak as flooding in the area is expected to become worse. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has confirmed that at least 128 people have died across Southern China since June 30, 2015.

The flooding in this area has affected at least 23 million people and the Ministry of Civil Affairs is claiming that this is the worst flooding since 1998. Chinese officials are hoping that Nepartak will slowdown while it crosses Taiwan.

However meteorologists are claiming that Nepartak could still be a level 4 Typhoon by the time it reaches China which still could mean heavy rainfall and strong winds for the area.