(Super) Typhoon Sepat intercept thread - video posted!

[P.K.]

James has made his way to Hualien on the east coast. Moderate rain as of four hours ago with lots of media satellite trucks in the area. He and Geoff have been considering if they should head south a bit.

[Chacor]

Thanks for the update Peter.

[Typhoon Hunter]

Last update before landfall which is due in about 10 hours.

Wind is howling outside and heaving with rain. In the town of Hualien and looks like landfall will be just south of here. May have to adjust our position later.

The eye is massive and latest radar presentation amazing!



Updates will also be posted at http://www.rambocam.com

[dizzyfish]

Wow.....I think you are in for a bumpy ride!!!

Stay safe.

Looking forward to your pics and the telling of your encounter!

[P.K.]

Update:

"Driving south on highway 9. Furious wind and rain!"

[CronkPSU]

good luck man, this one looks nasty!!!

[wxmann_91]

I think it's around 4 AM in Taiwan right now, correct? Eyewall coming ashore as we speak...

[P.K.]

Yes the eyewall is coming in based on the text I've just received. 4:35am at the moment.

"In the eyewall....mayhem..."

[Noles2006]

Wow, amazing... good luck!

[tim_in_ga]

Update:

"Driving south on highway 9. Furious wind and rain!"

Yikes - highway 9 is dangerous on a good day. I'm watching ETTV right now and there's some serious flooding going on, but a lot of that was already happening from previous rains. Just saw a small car wrapped around a concrete power pole. My in-laws are not seeing anything yet in central Taiwan but they will get some heavy rain for sure later.

[wsquared77]

Wow! We get so (understandably) caught up in our own storms that we forget what's happening elsewhere. It's fascinating to read these updates...

STAY SAFE!!!

[cyclonic chronic]

stay safe and be carefull typhoon hunter. cant wait for reports to come in. eyewall is making landfall, not sure where u are in relation to the map.

[P.K.]

Centre should make landfall in about 40 min from now. James is somewhere south of Hualien (24.0N) along the highway 9.

[wxmann_91]

Centre should make landfall in about 40 min from now. James is somewhere south of Hualien (24.0N) along the highway 9.

That'd be approximately at sunrise - good time for the eye to come thru.

[P.K.]

Update

"We're in a hospital filming chaos from ambulance bay...blowing 120mi/h [193km/h] at least...can feel pressure dropping in ears!!"

[RL3AO]

wow

[tim_in_ga]

Over 60,000 people without power now in Hualien, and that keeps going up. The video from the live news crew shows lots of trees down and corrugated metal sheets flying around. They showed some video from earlier of police going around to small mountain villages and warning everyone. Amazing how many people refuse to leave.

[RL3AO]

Over 60,000 people without power now in Hualien, and that keeps going up. The video from the live news crew shows lots of trees down and corrugated metal sheets flying around. They showed some video from earlier of police going around to small mountain villages and warning everyone. Amazing how many people refuse to leave.

Leave where? Its an island. Even going inland wouldn't have done much.

[tim_in_ga]

Over 60,000 people without power now in Hualien, and that keeps going up. The video from the live news crew shows lots of trees down and corrugated metal sheets flying around. They showed some video from earlier of police going around to small mountain villages and warning everyone. Amazing how many people refuse to leave.

Leave where? Its an island. Even going inland wouldn't have done much.

Going to a sturdy concrete building is much better than staying in a loosely constructed shack with corrugated metal sheets for a roof. That's what I am talking about.

[MiamiensisWx]

Sepat is moving inland - its structural appearance resembles Amber (1997) and other Taiwanese landfalling typhoons, especially because of the large double eyewall structure (undergoing EWRC). I would monitor the threat for heavy precipitation and mudslides over hilly interior terrain. Hopefully, James stayed safe and (undoubtedly) took some excellent footage! Good luck to all people in the storm's path.

Latest IR imagery

I think Sepat has been on the downswing before it came ashore on central Taiwan. Continental dry air intrusion has been impringing on the circulation, so I presume maximum winds (1-min and 10-min) would be reduced; I would guess the expanding weakening windfield would be disrupted by the land friction, too.