China Braces for Yet Another Tropical System

It’s only been a few days since Typhoon Conson made landfall Friday evening into southern China with sustained winds up to 78 mph. Here it is less than a week later and Tropical Storm Chanthu is heading for the same general area.

Tropical Storm Chanthu is currently located near 19.2N 112.4E. Image: ImpactWeather

Right now it’s located approximately 230 miles southwest of Hong Kong and moving northwest at 7 mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 55 mph, gusts 70 mph. It’s forecast to strengthen into a strong tropical storm or possibly a minimal typhoon as it moves across the South China Sea and towards the eastern Chinese coastline. It will likely make landfall close to Hainan Island on Thursday with a threat for heavy rains and gusty winds, especially where it makes landfall. Slow movement of the dissipating storm Friday into the weekend will likely lead to excessive rainfall amounts of 10-20 inches over far southeastern China/far northeastern Vietnam, bringing some flooding and mudslides.

Tropical Storm Chanthu will make landfall Thursday along the South China coast. Image: Joint Typhoon Warning Center

Chanthu may exacerbate flooding in southern China, where rainfall since the 1^st of July has affected around 38 million people and forced the relocation of 1.3 million in 11 provinces. Millions of people around China are reeling from some of the country’s worst flooding in a decade. Weeks of floods and landslides across central and southern China have left several hundred people dead or missing.

Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides in China. Image: AFP

To end on a positive note, there are no other significant tropical disturbances in the West Pacific Basin or South China Sea at this time. I guess that’s some encouraging news after two named tropical systems will have hit south China less than a week apart!