RT.com
Date: 4 Aug, 2015
The most powerful storm of 2015 is on a collision course with Japan and Taiwan. With
This August 4, 2015 NASA satellite image shows Super Typhoon Soudelor in the Pacific Ocean. Super Typhoon Soudelor developed into the world’s most powerful storm of the year Tuesday as it took aim at Japan, Taiwan and China after trashing the Northern Marianas. The storm was roaring across the western Pacific Ocean packing wind gusts up to 220 miles per hour (354 kph) according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center which rated it a maximum category five. AFP PHOTOS
winds of over 350kmh, Typhoon Soudelor has already wreaked havoc on a group of tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is expected to make landfall sometime on Thursday.
The tropical storm ripped through the Northern Marianas on Sunday, which are some 2,500km due east of the Philippines. However, it hasn’t taken any lives yet. Winds have been gusting up to 354kmh (220mph) according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, as cited by AFP and it is stronger than Cyclone Pam, so far the strongest storm of 2015, which claimed 15 lives in Vanuatu when it struck five months ago.
Typhoon Soudelor became 2015’s fifth super typhoon on Monday. A super typhoon is defined by sustained wind speeds of at least 241kmh (150mph).
“I’ve seen multiple primary power poles down; I’ve seen cars flipped over the road; I’ve seen lots of torn roofs,” John Hirsh, executive director of the American Red Cross in Saipan, told Pacific Daily News, as cited by AFP. [FULL STORY]
