Typhoon Hunter

Three weeks ago I made a successful intercept of the eyewall of typhoon Sepat with Geoff Mackley as it made landfall on central Taiwan. I put together two films which highlight how ferocious conditions are in the eyewall of a typhoon and how the dangers continue long after the wind has died down. The floods in part 2 are the most spectacular event I've ever witnessed: Part 1 - Part 2 -

Phillipines about to get an absolute hammering, gonna be serious trouble there. TY Cimaron has absolutely exploded overnight, dropped 65HPA in 24 hours, it's now at 910HPA. Forecast to make landfall with winds up to 130kts (JTWC forecast.) Here's the latest vis satellite image...it is absolutely stunning:

Here's a some photo's I took on 1st October as typhoon Xangsane made landfall and of the aftermath in Vietnam: This one was taken at about 0830 as the eyewall was passing over my location: Taken on 2nd October - evidence of big storm surge Finally storge surge remnants and debris about 6 hours after landfall

I've just finished editing a 5 minute video highlighting Xangsane at her worst. I've uploaded it to Youtube and it can be found at the link below. Hope you enjoy it:

Thanks for the messages guys. Hoi An seems to be ok, but I haven't seen the Old Town yet so that could be hit worse. Went up the road to Danang today and took some pics: 2 3 4 And finally, why you should never go out and film in extreme winds in area with poor infrastructure, the air is filled with this stuff:

I'm back online temporarily...safe and sound. Storm made landfall about 30hrs ago. Here are some pics from the eyewall, it was mayhem! 2 3 4

Hi guys. I'm in position!!! Got myself a 4th floor room in a sturdy, concrete constructed hotel in Hoi An (about 15.7 degrees north) with internet! The weather is pretty benign at the moment but judging by latest sat image there is serious mayhem to come. Here's latest pic from JTWC: There are many tourists here who have no clue of what is about to happen. However I just passed local high school and it's crammed with people who've been evacuated from the coast. JTWC going for landfall winds of 105kts. Will be able to update here as long as the power lasts!

Hello! Just checked the latest updates. Latest JTWC track has Xangsane peaking at 125kts before making landfall with winds of around 115kts. However I think JTWC track will be adjusted northward in the next update. They have not taken into account a northward jog which both the Taiwanese and JMA have. Consequently Taiwanese and JMA (85kts) are going for direct hit in Danang area. Current landfall times as as follows: JTWC 6am local, CWB 8am local, JMA 1pm local. What is great at the moment is they all seems to be going for daylight landfall on Sunday, couldn't be better. I've just read a report that Danang city may be evacuated, this could pose problems getting there and affect my wallet...may have to bribe my way through checkpoints! Cheers, James.

Thanks Rusty, I'm just praying that my flight tomorrow from Hanoi to Hue isn't cancelled....from latest update I should be ok. This time in 24hrs I'll be in Vietnam. From now on I'll be using JTWC updates since they are most useful for getting to the best place. The latest update is insane, as it stands now they reckon it'll have winds of 120kts gusting to 145kts just before landfall. This will devestate the region and I hope the Vietnamese government is doing all it can to protect the most vulnerable people (poor coastal dwellers.) Here's the latest tracking chart from JTWC: I'll post next update after the 06z comes out.

Holy crap...the latest JTWC update is insane. It's bound to change but as it stands it couldn't be better for me (except it's at night time). A direct hit on Hue with winds of 115kts gusting to 140kts...bad news for Hue though. Here's the latest tracking chart from JTWC:

Here's an article regarding the Phillipines. The last paragraph shows the Vietnamese are starting to make preparations: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/28092006/323/typh...es-11-dead.html

I have made it to Bangkok and managed to escape the mayhem of the new airport...it is its first day of fully operating! I've managed to get my passport to the visa service, will be ready tomorrow at 4pm. And I've spent a small fortune on plane tickets to Hue in central Vietnam...I arrive on Saturday 0630z, should just arrive in time. A few more hurdles cleared! Xangsane has just about crossed the Phillipines and is entering the South China Sea. JMA currently have winds at 65kts and JTWC at 105kts. Forecast to re-intensify in the SCS. Here's the latest JTWC chart, it show Da Nang (a bout 25 miles south of Hue) getting a direct hit: More updates to come later!

That was odd Peter. JTWC still have Xangsane charging towards Manila with 120kts winds! It's 5.10am here and the latest update (18z) means chase still on. JTWC track Xangsane straight into my ideal target zone with 115kt gusting to 140kt winds. So I'll be heading to the airport in 25 minutes. Let's hope the flight to Bangkok isn't full.

Well Xangsane must be absolutely pummeling the Phillipines at the moment. JMA have winds at 85kts and JTWC have them at 125kts!! Track still has Xangsane heading towards Vietnam as a strong typhoon. Awaiting the 18z update with interest. Here's latest satellite from JTWC:

Mods I hope you don't mind this in the general forum, the Hurricane Forum is very quiet and thought this might generate a bit more interest here! Typhoon Xangsane has done the remarkable and bombed into a very very strong typhoon in the space of 12hrs. It's currrently making landfall on the east coast of the Phillipines with sustainded 1 min winds of 115kts (JTWC) and 10 min winds of 90kts. 12 hours ago the Phillipines were expecting a tropical storm to make landfall now they have to deal with a monster! It's obviously far too late to get to the Phillipines, however Xangsane is currently forecast to re-strengthen in the South China Sea and head towards Vietnam. The latest JTWC track (very useful for intercepting storms) has Xangsane making landfall in central Vietnam with 115kt sustained winds. Therefore I'm going to try to intercept it. However I have many hurdles to face....first of all the 18z (becomes available at 4.30am my time) update. If this still shows a similar picture I'll head to Shanghai airport and try and get on the first plane to Bangkok provided it's not full. Then I have to get an express visa for Vietnam (provided what the people on the phone in Thailand told me is correct!) Then I'll book my tickets to Vietnam and try and get into the best position!! This is of course assuming all the while the storm is still worth intercepting! I'll post as many updates as I can here. Here's the latest JTWC tracking chart: And here's the latest sat image of Xangsane making landfall in Phillipines: