5.9.2008 3:27 PM

What the World Does Not Need Right Now: Another Major Hurricane

Typhoon Rammasun Could Reach Category 3 Strength, but Won't Make Landfall

A huge hurricane, Typhoon Rammasun, is expected to produce winds of up to 120 mph as it passes by the Philippines and Japan, but the storm isn't expected to make landfall.

Right now, the storm is a strong Category 1, with 92-mph sustained winds. It is more than 800 nautical miles from south-southeast of Okinawa, Japan, and could affect some of the smaller Pacific islands in the region.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Typhoon Rammasun

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center, however, is not predicting the storm will make a direct hit before it dissipates.

Rammasun is the Thai god of thunder.

That god appears to be showing some mercy. A week after Cyclone Nargis made landfall in Myanmar (Burma), killing at least 23,000 people, the last thing the world needs is another major hurricane landfall.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center

Find this article at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/typhoon-rammasun-47050907