Storm menaces Japan after highest cyclone tally since 1966
Tropical Storm Surigae is currently 791 kilometers south-southeast of Okinawa, packing top sustained winds of 74 kilometers per hour.
A tropical cyclone named Surigae is poised to make landfall on Okinawa, Japan, after intensifying into a typhoon, according to forecast models from the Japan Meteorological Agency. The storm, currently 791 kilometers south-southeast of Okinawa, is packing sustained winds of 74 kilometers per hour and is the 11th system to approach the country since June, surpassing the typical number of 9 for the period.
This surge in storm activity follows an exceptionally busy August, during which 10 tropical cyclones formed in the Pacific basin, the highest count since 1966. The underlying cause of this abnormally active storm season is attributed to a chain reaction initiated by a strong El Nino, which expanded a warm ocean pool across the Pacific and triggered a conveyor belt of tropical easterly waves – atmospheric ripples that spawn tropical cyclones.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
