September 29, 2008

Typhoons lashing Asia

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Typhoon season is lasting longer than usual in Asia, with the region battling two storms and expecting a third.

At least two people are dead and 58 injured after Typhoon Jangmi battered Taiwan with flash floods and landslides yesterday, Agence-France Presse reports. The tropical storm made landfall in eastern China tonight.

Another storm, Typhoon Hagupit, killed 41 people in Vietnam last week after barreling through China's southern Guangdong Province, the newswire reported.

Jangmi was a Category 4 hurricane with winds up to 124 miles (200 kilometers) per hour before being downgraded to a Category 1 storm, Reuters is reporting. It caused more than half a million people to be evacuated from China's northern Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, and 80,000 boats to be called back to harbor, according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency. Winds there are expected at 78 miles (126 kilometers) per hour, Xinhua says.

Tropical storm Mekkhala is forecast to hit Vietnam early tomorrow, with winds up to 63 miles (101 kilometers) per hour, according to Reuters.

Typhoons are also referred to as hurricanes or cyclones. To see what Hagupit wrought in southern China, check out this video. Our special report on hurricanes can be found here.

(Tropical storm Mekkhala off of the coasts of Vietnam and China on Sept. 25/NASA)

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