Severe Typhoon Haiyan exploding in power on path towards Philippines - The Washington PostSevere Typhoon Haiyan exploding in power on path towards Philippines - The Washington Post                  Sign In Username PostTV Politics Opinions Local Sports National World Business Tech Lifestyle Entertainment Classifieds Jobs Real Estate Events Rentals Cars WP BrandConnect Subscribe Newsletters & Alerts    washingtonpost.com © 1996-2015 The Washington Post  Help and Contact Us Terms of Service Privacy Policy Submissions and Discussion Policy RSS Terms of Service Ad Choices       Sections    The Washington Post    Severe Typhoon Haiyan exploding in power on path towards Philippines       Sign In  Username   Subscribe                        Capital Weather Gang Severe Typhoon Haiyan exploding in power on path towards Philippines           Share on Facebook  Share on Whatsapp  Share on Twitter  Share on Google Plus  Share via Email  More Options       Share via Email  Share on Twitter  Share on Pinterest  Share on Google Plus  Share on LinkedIn  Share on Tumblr          Resize Text Print Article  Comments             By Jason Samenow November 5, 2013  Follow @capitalweather   Typhoon Haiyan, roughly 48-60 hours from a dangerous encounter with the Philippines, is rapidly intensifying.    Satellite image of Typhoon Haiyan as of 20 UTC (NOAA)  The Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimates its maximum sustained winds are 120 mph (as of 18 UTC), the equivalent of a category 3 hurricane. That’s a a 70 mph increase since Monday when peak winds were around 50 mph (at 15 UTC). Haiyan is forecast to have maximum sustained winds of 150 mph within 12 hours, which would classify it is a super typhoon. By Thursday, its highest sustained winds may peak around 160 mph, rendering it a catastrophic category 5 storm just as it is nearing landfall in the central Philippines.  The JTWC officially brings Haiyan ashore with peak winds near 155 mph around 6 UTC Friday (1 a.m EST, 2 p.m. local time in Manila). Typhoon #Haiyan rapidly intensifying as it heads toward maximum intensity — probably Category 5+, nothing to stop it pic.twitter.com/TAUmDwV7yv — Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) November 5, 2013   Several tropical storms and typhoons have crossed the Philippines this year, but Haiyan promises to be among the most intense if not the strongest. (Utor crossed the northern Philippines as a category 4 storm in early August.) “Haiyan will likely be the most dangerous tropical cyclone to affect the Philippines this year,” writes Wunderground meteorologist Jeff Masters. “This is particularly true since Tropical Depression Thirty dumped heavy rains over the central Philippines Monday, which helped saturate the soils.”    Tropical storms and typhoons to impact the Philippines this year (Brian McNoldy)  AccuWeather discusses Haiyan’s likely impacts in more detail: Rain totals along the path of Haiyan could top 200 mm (8 inches). Mudslides are a serious concern in the higher terrain, where localized totals of 250 to 300 mm (10 to 12 inches) are not out of the question. The expected track of Haiyan will take it directly over the areas hardest hit by a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 150 people in the middle of October. Haiyan will also produce a severe and inundating storm surge, especially along the eastern coast of southern Luzon and Samar islands.    AccuWeather’s threat assessment for Typhoon Haiyan (AccuWeather.com)  Manila should remain north of the most violent part of the storm, but is still likely to be impacted by damaging winds and torrential rain. Jason is currently the Washington Post’s weather editor. A native Washingtonian, Jason has been a weather enthusiast since age 10.        Share on FacebookShare   Share on TwitterTweet          Comments                   Show Comments      Discussion Policy    Comments       SuperFan Badge SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams. More about badges | Request a badge   Culture Connoisseur Badge Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment. More about badges | Request a badge   Fact Checker Badge Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker. More about badges | Request a badge   Washingtologist Badge Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area. More about badges | Request a badge   Post Writer Badge This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.   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