The latest typhoon bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on the morning of June 22 said that Typhoon Mekkhala is 650km east of Tuguegarao city, Cagayan, Philippines.
The storm currently has sustained winds of 155 km/h and gusts of up to 190 km/h. The storm is moving northwest at a speed of 15 km/h. Storm-level winds can expand to 420km from the center of the storm.
The Philippine storm forecasting agency pointed out that Typhoon Mekkhala "will move northwest until June 24, then will slow down as it changes direction to south of Japan for the rest of the forecast period".
Typhoon Mekkhala is expected to strengthen further, reaching peak intensity on June 23.
Along with Typhoon Mekkhala, another low pressure area is also being monitored by PAGASA, located outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), 2,775km southeast of Luzon. However, this low pressure area is currently unlikely to develop into a tropical depression in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the latest typhoon news from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said that Typhoon Mekkhala, or typhoon No. 7 in Japan, has strengthened into a strong typhoon. As of 9 am on June 22, the typhoon is moving northwest off the east coast of the Philippines. The central atmospheric pressure of Mekkhala is 950 hectopascals and the maximum wind near the center of the typhoon is 162 km/h.
Japanese typhoon forecasters said that Typhoon Mekkhala is expected to move south of Okinawa prefecture on June 25, then approach Okinawa Island.
Also forecasting the path of Typhoon Mekkhala, the Taiwan (China) Meteorological Administration CWA said that Typhoon Mekkhala will approach the island closest on June 25. Current weather forecasts show that the typhoon will turn north on June 24 and pass through the sea east of Taiwan (China), although the exact path is still uncertain.
