A Super Typhoon With 180 MPH Winds Is Barreling Toward Japan

NOAAAn animated illustration of Super Typhoon Vongfong.

Super Typhoon Vongfong is now the strongest Pacific typhoon this year, packing estimated maximum winds of 180 mph, the equivalent to a category 5 hurricane, The Weather Channel reports.

The storm is projected to move across the western Pacific Ocean and track north toward Japan before making landfall later this week.

"It's safe to say Vongfong is the strongest storm on earth since Haiyan last year," The Weather Channel storm specialist Michael Lowry told the website.

As of 10 p.m. ET, a National Weather Service bulletin said Super Typhoon Vongfong was centered 910 miles west-northwest of Guam and moving west-northwest at 12 mph, bringing heavy rain within 300 miles of the center. The storm is expected to intensify throughout the day, reaching its peak Wednesday night, before winding down on Thursday, the weather service said.

A super typhoon is the most intense tropical cyclone. The system is classified as a super typhoon once it reaches category 4 hurricane status with sustained winds of 130 mph or above.