On July 19, a low-pressure area over the Pacific Ocean developed into a tropical depression. Due to warm waters and low wind shear, the tropical depression quickly intensified further into a tropical storm on July 21, which was named Tropical Storm Doksuri by the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA). Early on the 21st, Infoplaza started sending Tropical Cyclone Bulletins to our clients Van Oord and Boskalis, who are working near Taiwan, and Jan de Nul, who is working near Luzon.
The system kept intensifying and underwent rapid intensification over the Philippine Sea, resulting in Doksuri reaching typhoon status. As of July 24, 12:00 UTC, Typhoon Doksuri (Philippine name 'Egay') is located near 16.5°N 125.8°E or about 625 nautical miles south-southeast of Taipei, Taiwan. The 10-minute sustained winds are 90 knots, with gusts up to 130 knots. The minimum barometric core-pressure is 940 hPa, and the system is moving north-northwest at 9 knots.
Figure 1: Isobars (black lines 5hPa) and wind speed/direction (kts) valid Monday, July 24th, 15 UTC (GFS).
The system is expected to follow a NW'ly track in the coming days towards Taiwan. It is possible that Doksuri will graze over the most northern part of Luzon, Philippines, early on Wednesday (local time). Doksuri is expected to have sustained winds of approximately 100 knots by then. Afterward, the system will move across the Luzon Strait. The exact track is yet uncertain. The latest forecasts show Doksuri tracking just SW of Taiwan, making landfall near Shantou early on Friday (local time).
However, the uncertainty in track and development is rather large. Once the system has made landfall, it will quickly decline. Infoplaza will continue to monitor the latest weather developments to secure the safety of our clients with the most accurate forecasts as possible.
Figure 2: Isobars (black lines 5hPa) and wind speed/direction (kts) valid Thursday, July 27th, 12 UTC (ECMWF).
Like to know more about typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes? Get access to our 20-minute expert webinar:
