Super typhoon churns through Pacific, threatens Okinawa

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: cnn

Super Typhoon Songda ripped across the western Pacific on Thursday, dropping heavy rain on the Philippines and threatening Okinawa and the Japanese main islands with rain and damaging winds into the weekend.

Songda was a Category 5 storm late Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 161 mph and gusts of 195 mph, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The storm was producing wave heights of 38 feet in the Pacific, forecasters said.

The forecast track for Songda put it over Okinawa on Saturday night as a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 109 mph and gusts up 132 mph.

Read more: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/26/super-typhoon-churns-through-pacific-threatens-okinawa/

[kenfrequed]

1. I was stationed in Okinawa

There are a bunch of parts of that island that would be devastated by 38 foot waves.

[TheMadMonk]

12. If they were 38 foot waves. That's Cat-5 in open water.

What's forecast to hit the island is Cat-2, which generally comes under the heading of nasty, but not espescially dangerous.

[FirstLight]

2. not to mention

churning up all that delicious radioactivity in the water and throwing it onto land...

sounds awful

[damntexdem]

3. Just what Japan needs right now.

Just what Fukushima needs -- and what the world environment needs.

Yikes!

[kentauros]

7. I'm not worried about this having any effect on Fukushima

as that's on the northern side of Japan, and this storm will skirt the southern end as it veers to the east. Here's a storm-track page for more on that:

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/wp201104.html?MR=1

[Wait Wut]

4. This is too much.

My daughter-in-laws family is in Okinawa. The few that had moved to the mainland just relocated back to Okinawa.

Thanks for the heads up. Calling her now.

[Wait Wut]

5. LOL!!!

God, I love my d-i-l!!! Her reaction, "Meh. They'll be fine. Just a little wind and rain. No biggie." My son just sent a text telling me when he was stationed there he went through a super typhoon and was amazed at how well prepared the Okinawan people were. He told me not to worry and that they'll keep me posted.

Between my son's "Marine attitude" and my Okinawan d-i-ls surreal calm demeanor, I live a pretty stress free life as a mom. Wish I could say the same about my life as a wife and step-mom/grandma.

[sce56]

6. I saw plenty of Typhoons in my two years there the buildings are built better than the US

Cinder Block buildings can withstand a lot of wind and rain. Not sayng it will be ok but I had no damage from Super Typhoon Bart back in 99. Afterwards the biggest problem we had was the playschool jungle gym blown into our yard that no one ever claimed!

[AsahinaKimi]

8. When it rains, it pours.

Ame ga furu toki, sore ga sosogu.

[SkyDaddy7]

9. Stupid Question...

Is that Japanese? Does it say the same as your header "When it rains, it pours"

I was trying my left click Google translator & it did not work so I wanted to check to make sure.

[AsahinaKimi]

11. Yes..

Spelled out in Romaji. Normally would look like this..あめがふるときそれがそそぐ。 (Hiragana/Katakana)

With Kanji it looks like this: 雨が降るときは、注ぐ

[SkyDaddy7]

13. Thank-you! nt.

[davidpdx]

10. I'm glad it missed us here in Korea

Last September we had one that literally started right below the Japan and came up in between China and Korea and hit Seoul dead on. It was really nasty and scary. The only time I've been in a typhoon/hurricane.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1KlcQQawSZI/TIRCe1ExieI/AAAAAAAAG7U/BAnDqMukRyc/s400/Typhoon+Malou+Korea.jpg