TAIPEI (TVBS News) — As Typhoon Khanun continues to send heavy rain and strong winds to Taiwan, weather experts stressed that the main condition for this unusually moderate typhoon, likely to become a long lifespan, was partially due to the influence of the Monsoon Gyre.
The typhoon's center was located 350 kilometers northeast of Taiwan early Friday (Aug. 4). It was slowly heading northwest-north at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour, likely to affect Taiwan for a longer time as it turns north.
Weather analyst Caterlanse Wu explained the reason why Typhoon Khanun might have a long lifespan was mainly because "the environment was suitable for it to grow during the process of approaching the Ryukyu Islands from the distant ocean, and it apparently slowed down after getting closer to the Islands."
Experts named several unusually long-lived typhoons recorded in the history of Taiwan, known for their bizarre and unpredictable paths.
One of them was Typhoon Wayne in 1986, hammering Taiwan for around 20 days after changing its path three times due to the influences of multiple high pressures and frontal surfaces, causing 68 deaths, 19 missing, and 442 injured.
Another one was Typhoon Nari in 2001, which experts described as similar to Typhoon Khanun, as it lingered near the northeast of Taiwan before traversing through the southwest, leaving 94 casualties and ten reported missing.
Tseng Hung-yang, adjunct associate professor of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the Chinese Culture University, stated, "The length of a typhoon's life cycle is closely related to the strength of its steering flow."
"When the steering flow is weak or unidentifiable, the typhoon tends to move slower, spin around, or even stay in place."
Experts predicted that Typhoon Khanun may be near the Ryukyu Islands within the next one to three days.
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) also warned of strong winds in north Taiwan on Friday, and heavy rainfall events will appear in central and southern parts of the country in the coming week.