Typhoon targets China and gathers strength

[villager]

Typhoon targets China and gathers strength

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) - Typhoon Saomai gathered strength as it swirled toward China, with landfall expected on Thursday, while a tropical storm fizzled to the south of Taiwan and another veered toward the east of Japan.

At 0900 GMT, Saomai was 630 km (390 miles) southeast of the Chinese coastal city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province and moving northwest at 25 kph, meaning Taiwan was likely to escape the brunt of the storm, China's Central Meteorological Office said. Heavy rains will hit Zhejiang and the neighboring province of Fujian through Friday, with wind gusts of 70 to 120 kph, Xinhua news agency said.

Authorities have warned of floods and landslides in mountainous areas and advised all ships to return to harbor by Wednesday evening. Much of south China has been repeatedly battered by typhoons and tropical storms this year, with hundreds of people killed by rainstorms, mudslides and floods.

Tropical storm Bilis killed more than 600 lives alone last month and Typhoon Prapiroon killed about 80 last week.

Taiwan's weather bureau issued land and sea warnings, anticipating strong winds in northern Taiwan. Keelung, Taiwan's second largest port, may have to close, a port official said.

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http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-09T121058Z_01_TP334044_RTRUKOC_0_US-WEATHER-ASIA.xml&archived=False

[kimmerspixelated]

1. Why is it we never hear of these storms in the southern hemishere?

[villager]

2. rhetorical question viz. the MSM?

nt

[BushOut06]

3. Probably because of geography, I would imagine

It made news awhile back when Australia got pounded by some rather strong cyclones. But there's more land in the Northern Hemisphere than there is in the Southern, so less likelihood of a major cyclone hitting a populated area - at least in the areas where cyclones occur.