Two typhoons churning in the Pacific Ocean are intensifying, with one likely to meander for days in the vicinity of Taiwan and the northern Philippines later this week, potentially bringing disastrous amounts of rainfall.
Typhoons Goni and Atsani are currently spinning in the Northwest Pacific Basin, well away from any landmass -- for now.
Typhoon Goni is projected to potentially make landfall near the northern Philippines or Taiwan at the end of this week, though there is still some uncertainty about where and when it could hit.
As the storm reaches these areas, it is likely to be in a vicinity of weak upper atmospheric winds, allowing it to slowly meander like a spinning top.
Taiwan was hammered with more than 50 inches of rain just one week ago when Super Typhoon Soudelor made landfall, and the island nation is still recovering, so a blow from Goni -- even if it is not a direct one -- could potentially be destructive to areas of the country.
"Any slowdown in Goni’s progress near the mountainous terrain of Taiwan or nearby islands could lead to torrential, destructive rainfall," Bob Henson wrote on Dr. Jeff Masters' Weather Underground blog Monday.
Typhoon Atsani is currently projected to take a different path that brings it toward Japan next week; however, where it will make landfall, if at all, is not clear. It may recurve to the northeast, out to sea south of Japan, over the weekend.
Typhoon Goni could become a super typhoon -- with sustained winds of 150 mph, or 130 knots -- by Thursday, according to the JTWC. Typhoon Atsani is likely to become even more intense, with maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, or 140 knots, by Wednesday.
GFS 00z 3-7 day forecast animation of Typhoon #Goni recurves & misses Taiwan ... Atsani heads WNW near Japan pic.twitter.com/6R4adSQuel— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) August 17, 2015
If Typhoon Atsani reaches such intensity, it would be the seventh Category 5 hurricane-equivalent storm to form on Earth so far this year.
If both Goni and Atsani become super typhoons, it will mark the first time 1997 that two storms of that category formed together in the Pacific, according to the Washington Post.
Japan’s new Himawari-8 satellite is already keeping an eye on the forming typhoons. A 14 second animation shows Goni moving west in the Pacific.
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