Typhoon Etau

Pre-Landfall 1 | Summary
Posting Date: August 7, 2003, 1:00:00 PM

As of Thursday, August 7, 2003, at 04:00 p.m. EDT, (1800 UTC) Typhoon Etau, is located about 247 miles (398 km) south-southeast of Sasebo, Japan. Over the last 6 hours, Etau has tracked northeastward at 18 mph (29 kph). It is expected to reach the Kyushu coastline by tomorrow afternoon, local time. Current estimates put the typhoon’s maximum sustained wind speed at 121 mph (194 kph) with gusts up to 150 mph (241 kph), making the storm a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale. The radius of maximum winds remains at about 40 miles (64 km), with the strongest winds located in the southeast quadrant. Typhoon Etau is expected to weaken as it reaches the coast, making landfall as a medium to weak Category 1 storm with wind speeds of 80 mph. Flights to and from Okinawa were cancelled today. The Japanese refining plant on the island was shut down due to the approaching typhoon, and may remain closed for three days. At least four people were reported injured by the typhoon, which also blew down trees and injured some homes. AIR will continue to monitor the storm closely and will post additional information if necessary.

Pre-Landfall 1 | Downloads
Posting Date: August 7, 2003, 1:00:00 PM