Super Typhoon 18W (Jelawat), # 11
Published: September 26, 2012
9:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, Japan time: Jelawat won’t be the powerful beast it is now, but should still take a pretty solid 2-by-4 to Okinawa as it rolls 12 miles south of the island about 10 p.m. Saturday, still packing a Category 1-equivalent punch of 86-mph sustained winds and 115-mph gusts.
It looks as if Jelawat will weaken rapidly as it plunges northeast and crashes ashore near Hamamatsu on Honshu’s south coast around 3 p.m. Monday, still packing 52-mph sustained winds and 63-mph gusts. Those should diminish as Jelawat interacts with mountains and strong vertical wind shear; U.S. bases in the Kanto Plain should feel some serious gusts and experience some rainshowers into Monday evening.
Latest Okinawa forecast wind timeline from Kadena Air Base’s 18th Wing Weather Flight:
-- Sustained 35-mph winds and greater, 11 p.m. Friday.
-- Sustained 40-mph winds and greater, 2 a.m. Saturday.
-- Sustained 58-mph winds and greater, 10 a.m. Saturday.
-- Maximum 86-mph winds and 115-mph gusts, 1 p.m. Saturday.
-- Winds diminishing below 58 mph, 10 p.m. Saturday.
-- Winds diminishing below 40 mph, midnight Saturday.
-- Winds diminishing below 35 mph, 6 a.m. Sunday.
(Information bolded involve wind speeds of 58 mph or greater, the "magic number" according to military instruction.)
