Typhoon Khanun is charging toward Okinawa 

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Typhoon Khanun as it gained over the Pacific Ocean on July 31, 2023. The storm arrived just days after Typhoon Doksuri slammed the Philippines, Taiwan, and China.

“Models from the day before showed Khanun’s trajectory pointed at China’s coast, south of Shanghai, but moving more slowly than previously forecast. The typhoon was expected to slow or stall near Okinawa, Japan, and stay offshore of China for several days,” said NASA.

“By 9 p.m. Japan Standard Time (12:00 Universal Time) on July 31, Khanun had reached category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 130 miles per hour, reported Weather Underground.”

The typhoon is expected to make its closest passage to Okinawa early Wednesday morning as a destructive storm, with rainfall totals of up to 9 inches, according to media reports.

“Some models show it turning away from land after passing Okinawa. Still, China’s Zhejiang Province activated a Level IV emergency response – the lowest in its system – on July 30 in anticipation of storm surge,” said NASA.

“The region has had little time to recover from the impacts of Typhoon Doksuri, which struck heavily populated areas south of Khanun’s path.”

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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