In the last 24 hours, Meranti transformed from a category 1 storm to a category 5 storm, the highest level possible on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, according to AccuWeather.
The super-typhoon currently has sustained winds of 183 mph (295 kph) with gusts of up to 223 mph (360 kph), blowing the Saffir-Simpson scale out-of-the-water. Meranti is tracking just a bit south of Taiwan and is not expected to give the island country a direct hit.
“Meranti will be traveling through an environment with low wind shear and very warm ocean water which is favorable for holding on to this strength,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Even though Meranti will only hit the southern tip, the whole island will feel the force of the storm’s wrath, reports CNN. The tropical storm’s wind field stretches out for 350 miles (560 km) and Taiwan is only 230 miles in length. Rough surf is expected to batter the coast beginning on Tuesday and only getting worse as the storm moves closer.
Dangerous winds are only one of the effects that will be felt in Taiwan and then mainland China. Torrential rains of up to three feet that can accumulate over central Taiwan’s mountainous terrain will lead to deadly flash floods and mudslides. A storm surge of two to three meters (seven to 10 feet) is expected.
At 09:00 GMT on Tuesday, Meranti was located about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) east-northeast of Luzon, the Philippines, and 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) southeast of Taiwan. High ocean temperatures, low wind shear and high atmospheric humidity will keep Meranti’s current wind strength intact as the storm moves forward.
Meranti has become the fourth category 5 storm of 2016, following Winston, Fantala and Nepartak. Aljazeera is reporting that with Meranti being upgraded to a category 5 tropical cyclone, it fits in with a study released by the University of North Carolina, that concluded typhoons over the northwestern Pacific had increased in strength in the last 40 years.
