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Super Typhoon 18W (Jelawat), # 4
Published: September 23, 2012
10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 24, Japan time: Jelawat was upgraded Monday morning to super-typhoon status and has begun a slow, ponderous journey north.
It’s forecast to peak at 161-mph sustained winds and 196-mph gusts overnight Monday. Joint Typhoon Warning Center’s forecast track has Jelawat cruising directly over Ishigaki at 3 a.m. Saturday, still packing a powerful punch, 127-mph sustained winds and 155-mph gusts as it curves toward Okinawa.
How close it comes to the island is anybody’s guess; it’s still five days away and model guidance is still spread by about 400 miles. We’re keeping an eyeball on it.