Super-typhoon Wipha is closing in on northern Taiwan with maximum sustained winds of 135 knots gusting to 165 knots! Wipha has been tracking consistently to the WNW and passed just to the south of Ishigaki Jima, where sustained winds of 64 kts with gusts to 88 kts were reported. This storm is forecast to pass just to north of Taipei by 12z on Sept. 18 with 125 kt winds, and will make landfall in China south of Shanghai by 21z Sept. 19. James Reynolds is heading to the city of Wenzhou, China (population ~ 5 million) for intercept. Satellite imagery and the official Joint Typhoon Warning Center track map are displayed below. Stay tuned for updates from James!