Typhoon Khanun Struck Southern China With Strong Winds and Heavy Rain (RECAP)

Threats From Ernesto Impacting US Coastal Areas

Typhoon Khanun lashed southern China with heavy rain and strong winds as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane before tracking toward northern Vietnam.

(LATEST NEWS: Thousands Evacuated, Flights Canceled as Typhoon Khanun Lashes China)

Khanun made landfall early Monday morning, local time, Oct. 16, in far southern mainland China (southern China is 12 hours ahead of U.S. eastern daylight time).

The interaction with land as it tracked over southern China resulted in some weakening before Khanun turned to the southwest in the direction of northern Vietnam.

The name Khanun means jackfruit, a type of Thai fruit.

Tropics Have Been Quiet in the Western Pacific Recently

While the Atlantic Basin has been active with tropical activity, the western Pacific has been relatively quiet.

(MORE: 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season Now Seventh Most Active in History)

The first typhoon of the season, Typhoon Noru, did not reach typhoon status until July 23, the second-latest first typhoon of the year since 1950, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, Colorado State University tropical meteorologist. He also noted that typically three to four typhoons have developed by mid-July.

In fact, Khanun is the first named storm in the western Pacific since mid-September, when Typhoon Doksuri impacted the same region and Typhoon Talim brought heavy rainfall and gusty winds to Japan.

There were two tropical depressions since then, one in late September that tracked from the northern Philippines to Hainan and one last week, which brought heavy rainfall and flooding in northern Vietnam. But neither system reached tropical storm strength.

According to Klotzbach, this was the first time on record that there were no named storms in the northwestern Pacific from Sept. 18 to Oct. 9.

There are some indications that tropical activity in the northwestern Pacific may increase in mid- to late October.

Over the next week, there are a couple areas near and east of the Philippines that could develop into a tropical cyclone.

Tropical Depression 25W developed Sunday, Oct. 15, several hundred miles east of the Philippines and will track toward Japan in the week ahead.

There are differences in the computer forecast models regarding the development of additional tropical storms and typhoons and where they may track, so be sure to check back to weather.com.