The latest storm and low pressure news on August 7th said that in addition to Typhoon Dolphin, Typhoon Chan-hom and remnants of the tropical depression Kujira (name Maymay in the Philippines), 2 new low pressures continue to appear in the western Pacific basin, including 97W and 98W.
The latest storm bulletin from the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) said that new low pressure 97W is operating in the Gulf of Tonkin, in the western area of Hainan Island, China. The latest low pressure in the East Sea is in a favorable environment to continue strengthening. JTWC currently assesses that 97W has an average ability to develop into a storm or tropical depression in the next 24 hours.
However, only some forecast models suggest that the latest low pressure in the East Sea may reach typhoon intensity, mainly due to being near mainland China and the structure of the low pressure is still quite wide and extended.
Forecast models show that 97W will move east towards the northern East Sea area, before merging into the upper-level westerly zone.
Meanwhile, low pressure 98W is a low pressure area located northwest of the Mariana Islands. This area has many favorable conditions for low pressure 98W to continue to strengthen, including vertical wind gusts from low to medium, strong west winds above the upper atmosphere, high sea surface temperatures, and abundant ocean heat content.
In addition, low pressure 98W is also absorbing the remnants of the tropical depression Kujira (Maymay). Forecast models show that in the next 3 days, this system will move east to southeast, then turn northeast to begin interacting with Typhoon Chan-hom.
On the morning of August 7, Typhoon Dolphin's eye swept through the northern area of Okinawa Island, Japan. Strong winds have been recorded widely. In Naha city, gusts of over 100 km/h. It is forecast that this morning, the typhoon will pass through part of the Ryukyu Islands, then enter the East China Sea.
According to the forecast path of Typhoon Dolphin announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), this typhoon will continue to move mainly westward until August 9, then make landfall in southeastern China in the early morning of August 10 with strong tropical storm intensity.
The southwest monsoon is forecast to remain over most of mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Micronesia for the next 2 weeks.
The latest meteorological models see that the humidity phase of the Madden-Julian (MJO) oscillation is likely to spread through the western Pacific region in the next 2-3 weeks. This along with strengthened low-level west winds will create favorable conditions for many storms and tropical depressions to form throughout the basin.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts higher than average rainfall in the next 3 weeks in many areas, including Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, northern and western Philippines), and the sub-region of Micronesia in the Pacific.
