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Typhoon Nepartak nears Taiwan; landfall unclear

Tropical storm force winds aren’t expected to affect Guam today, however, the Fourth of July holiday will be a wet one, a press release from the Offices of Homeland Security and Civil Defense states.

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Joint Typhoon Warning Center just issued its first warning on Tropical Depression Nepartak at noon Sunday.

It is packing maximum sustained winds of 190 kph, with gusts reaching 234 kph, according to the bureau.

According to the China Meteorological Administration, Nepartak is expected to land at or pass Taiwan on Thursday night and then approach the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.

Nepartak is likely to maintain its super typhoon status and could reach the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane (253 kph or 157 mph). Despite this deep banding has started to set up to the south as Monsoonal moisture begins to feed in to Nepartak. Image credit: University of Wisconsin/CIMSS.

Typhoon Nepartak formed in the north-western Pacific at the weekend, ending a record 199 day stretch without tropical cyclone development in this region of the world. Nepartak will continue to be over very warm ocean waters of 31°C (88°F) with light wind shear of 5 – 10 knots until about six hours before its expected landfall in Taiwan.

Insurance, reinsurance and ILS interests should watch typhoon Nepartak closely, as the forecasts have been upgraded in intensity recently as forecasters become more certain of the storms potential to cause damage.

National Weather Service on Guam reports the disturbance should head in the general direction of Yap and Palau, bringing a forecast of showers and thundershowers with between 3 to 6 inches of rain possible as the system moves northwest.

Nepartak is now swirling in the southern Pacific near Fiji.

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NASA's Aqua satellite scans powerful Typhoon Nepartak