As recently as this morning, forecasters feared China may be struck by, not one, but two typhoons at once, as both Talim and Doksuri approached closer to making landfall.
But the latest storm trackers indicate that both storms could now miss China entirely. Talim might be changing its mind and make a last minute turn towards Japan, while Doksuri looks to be veering towards Vietnam, according to the latest storm path projections from authorities in Zhejiang province:
Typhoon Talim, which some experts say is shaping up to be the most powerful typhoon of the year, was less 500 kilometers away from Zhejiang province at 10am this morning as it traveled northwest towards Taiwan. China's national weather observatory has already issued an orange alert, the second highest level on its four-tier system for severe weather.
Autumn (September-November) is usually when China experiences some of its most powerful storms.
One forecaster told the South China Morning Post that Talim may be as powerful as Hurricane Irma, which devastated much of the Caribbean before it struck the US state of Florida this week.
Talim was expected to gain strength and hit its peak as it moved towards northern cities like Taipei, with wind speeds of nearly 140 kilometers per hour predicted. In response, Taiwan issued a maritime alert, while the two largest airlines — China Airlines EVA Airways — canceled some inbound and outbound international flights. Taiwan may also close markets, schools and businesses on Thursday, though an announcement hasn't yet been made.
The typhoon was initially forecast to slam China's southeast coast on Thursday night or Friday morning, and was predicted to become a super typhoon packing winds of 60 meters per second or 185 kilometers per hour, which is comparable to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane in the US.
Over 200,000 people have already been evacuated from Fujian and Zhejiang province as of today, with reports earlier saying that up to 500,000 people would need to be moved to safety if Talim hit.
Even this morning, forecasters were expecting the storm to hit Shanghai, which was originally said to feel the worst effects of the storm from Thursday to Saturday, with meteorologists expecting the 'Hai to be pummeled with torrential downpour, gale force winds, lightning and thunder on Friday. Precipitation in the 'Hai on Friday was said to reach 70 milimeters per hour, and forecasters even said a hurricane could form in the city's coastal areas and Yangshan Port, according to Shanghai Daily. Now it looks as though Shanghai will be likely spared from the storm.
Talim's new path, via Wunderground
Talim's updated path, via Hong Kong Observatory
Meanwhile down south, forecasters are keeping their eyes on another storm that was just upgraded to a typhoon and is gaining traction southwest of Talim, with winds of 18 meters per second. Doksuri is moving northwest and its eye is currently over the South China Sea. At first it appeared to have been heading towards Hainan province, now it may instead divert towards Vietnam. It might still brush by southern Hainan, however.
Daksuri's new path, via Wunderground
Doksuri's new forecast trajectory, via HKO
China’s National Meteorological Center earlier issued a warning that coastal areas in places like Guangdong could face severe flooding from Doksuri, similar to what it experienced when Hato hit late last month.
READ MORE: Insane Videos of Typhoon Hato Making Landfall in China
Images from Typhoon Hato.
As many as 11 emergency response teams were dispatched to Fujian, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi and Guangxi in preparation for the twin storms, according to Xinhua. Experts had even feared that waves in Zhejiang and Fujian could reach as high as six or seven meters.
For now, it looks like China might be safe after all.
We'd advise to keep an eye on this weather tracker over the next few days — just in case Talim and Doksuri change paths again.
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