Typhoon Wipha Intensifying, Set to Batter Eastern China.

Typhoon Wipha has rapidly intensified into a major typhoon and is set to brush northern Taiwan before slamming into eastern China.  According to the official Japanese Meteorological Agency, Wipha has sustained winds of 105mph with gusts up to 150mph. Meanwhile the American non-official JTWC have classified this as an extremely dangerous category 4 storm with sustained winds of 140mph.

The storm is forecast to pass to the north of Taiwan bringing strong winds and heavy rains but the core and the eye are expected to remain offshore. 

Typhoon Wipha is then forecast to slam mainland China between the port cities of Ningbo and Wenzhou and there is a possibilty the typhoon could directly affect metropolitan Shanghai. This is a heavily populated and industrialised region and this typhoon has the potential to cause significant disruption to the local population.

Over the next 24 hours Chinese authorities should start to evacuate vulnerable citizens from areas at risk of coastal flooding.

I will be travelling to the forecast landfall zone tomorrow to cover this storm firsthand. More updates as this situation develops.....