Typhoon Koinu establishes new Taiwan wind record, sets sights on southeastern China
The measurement of 213 mph on Orchid Island is the second fastest ever in a tropical cyclone. While AccuWeather says Koinu will lose wind intensity, southeastern China is bracing for heavy rain and gusty winds.
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Powerful Typhoon Koinu slammed southern Taiwan early Thursday, bringing record-setting winds, killing one person and injuring hundreds more. It now has southeastern China in its forecast path, where there can be more damaging winds and heavy rain into this weekend, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
The typhoon, known as 'Jenny' in the Philippines, was churning across the South China Sea as of early Saturday morning local time, and was packing maximum sustained winds of around 95 mph (150 km/h) equivalent to that of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS).
As Koinu passed over southern Taiwan's Hengchun Peninsula from late Wednesday night into early Thursday, it was at its peak intensity, packing winds equivalent to that of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane on the SSHWS (111-156 mph or about 180-250 km/h). The heavy rain and powerful winds injured over 300 people, and one person was killed by flying glass in the city of Taichung, according to The Associated Press.
A woman walks in the rain in Taipei as Typhoon Koinu approaches Taiwan on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
The typhoon also set a new wind speed record in Taiwan. The country's Central Weather Administration (CWA) confirmed a wind gust of 212.9 mph (342.7 km/h) and a sustained wind speed of 123.5 mph (198.7 km/h) on Orchid Island, a small volcanic island off the southeastern coast of mainland Taiwan. Both are the highest ever recorded in Taiwan since records began in 1897.
The wind gust to nearly 213 mph was the second fastest ever recorded in a tropical cyclone, behind only a measurement during 1996's Tropical Cyclone Olivia on Barrow Island in Western Australia (253 mph or 408 km/h). That is also officially the strongest wind gust ever recorded on Earth, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
"If confirmed, a 213-mph wind would be the third-highest recorded surface wind speed on record for the entire world, not including Doppler tornado winds," said Randy Cerveny, WMO Rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes.
Typhoon Koinu, as seen on AccuWeather RealVue™ Enhanced Satellite on early Sat. morning, local time, Oct. 7, 2023.
Powerful winds in association with Koinu knocked out power to more than 62,000 homes in Taiwan, according to The Guardian. The emergency operations center in Chiayi reported that some of those injured by the strong winds fell off their scooters or were hit by flying tree branches.
The storm also brought torrential rains to the country, with amounts of 5 to 15 inches (about 125-380 mm) common, according to a map posted by the CWA on its website. A clear shadowing effect due to the mountains in the country was noted, with little, if any, rainfall reported to the west of those mountains.
Taipei, Tawian's capital and most populous city home to more than 9 million people, was spared the worst of the typhoon since it is located in the northern part of the country. Around 1.50 inches (38 mm) of rain, however, were still reported there.
Koinu will continue to track to the west across the South China Sea into the weekend, aiming for the southeastern coast of the Chinese mainland next, AccuWeather's team of international forecasters said.
"Koinu is expected to continue to lose wind intensity over the next few days," said AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls. "The heaviest rain and strongest winds [have moved] away from Taiwan, Batanes and Babuyan Islands but then are expected to begin along the southeastern coast of China from Friday into Sunday, local time."
When Koinu approaches southeastern China, it may be a strong tropical storm, but the rain and wind expected from the storm can still cause issues.
"Rainfall amounts up to 4 inches (100 mm) are expected along the southeastern coast of China," said Nicholls. "The rain can bring impacts such as mudslides, road washouts, flash flooding and structural damage."
Ahead of expected impacts, Guangzhou canceled some flights and trains scheduled for Friday and alerted maritime interests, according to the AP.
This satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite provided by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, shows Typhoon Koinu, center, approaching Taiwan on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Courtesy of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) via AP)
While AccuWeather is not forecasting Koinu to make a direct landfall in China, it will still bring strong, potentially damaging winds to coastal areas into the weekend.
"Wind gusts to 80 mph (130 km/h) can occur along the southern Fujian coast and Guangdong coast of China, with the strongest gusts are expected near the center of the storm," added Nicholls. "Wind gusts to this magnitude can cause downed trees, power outages and structural damage."
The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for rain in China is 8 inches (200 mm), and for wind, it is 90 mph (145 km/h).
AccuWeather has been tracking Koinu for over a week now, when its life began as a tropical low in the western Pacific Ocean near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Sept. 27. It then rapidly intensified in the Philippine Sea from Sunday into Monday before impacting the northern Philippines from Tuesday into Wednesday.
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