After Tropical Storm Marco and Hurricane Laura made landfall in similar areas on the U.S. Gulf Coast last week, two typhoons in the Pacific might also hammer South Korea back to back.
Typhoon Maysak is currently packing 130 mph winds, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, although it is expected to weaken to the strength of a Category 2 hurricane when it makes landfall in South Korea Wednesday night, local time, according to CNN.
The storm is expected to drive torrential rains up the Korean Peninsula, which has already experienced deadly flooding this summer.
Tropical Cyclone MAYSAK. Warning n.23 pic.twitter.com/JSDkGRZjWK
— ADAM Disaster Alerts (@WFP_ADAM) September 2, 2020
Tropical Storm Haishen is set to strengthen to typhoon status over the next 24 hours before exploding to Category 4 strength. Haishen is tracking a similar path as Maysak, with forecast models showing it moving near or over the Korean Peninsula early next week.
Japan is also concerned about Haishen and is warning that the typhoon could be one of the biggest systems to hit the country since it began keeping records.
After the attention Marco & Laura got last week when their forecast tracks crossed, we now have the same situation with Typhoons Maysak & Haishen
In the end, South Korea could be looking at back-to-back typhoons. This after devastating floods killed at least 30 in early August pic.twitter.com/3RFjExwe9d
— Greg Diamond (@gdimeweather) September 2, 2020
North Korea is also preparing for a one-two weather punch. State-run media in the hermit nation warned of powerful winds and excessive rain and said that “urgent measures are being taken for minimizing the damage.”
The two storm systems hark back to the U.S. Gulf Coast last month when Marco made landfall as a weak tropical storm at the mouth of the Mississippi River before falling apart. Marco was followed by Laura just days later. Laura made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane in southwestern Louisiana, bringing with it damage and fatalities.
