Ameteorologist has pointed out the sheer size of Typhoon Kong-rey’s eye as the massive storm approached Taiwan on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Typhoon Kong-rey had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, according to the website Zoom Earth. The storm has weakened slightly since Tuesday night, when it was categorized as a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane. Forecasts anticipate that Typhoon Kong-rey will weaken further by the time it makes landfall in Kaohsiung in the early morning hours on Thursday.
On Tuesday night, meteorologist Noah Bergren of TV station WOFL in Orlando, Florida, commented on the size of the storm’s eye.
“Super Typhoon Kong-rey is easily one of the largest eye’s in a major tropical system you will ever see on Earth,” Bergren posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Thing is absolutely massive.”
A wave crashes outside of Fugang Harbor in Taitung, Taiwan, ahead of Typhoon Kong-rey on Wednesday. The storm is expected to make landfall in Taiwan early Thursday morning. Annabelle Chih/Getty
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alan Reppert told Newsweek that having a large eye doesn’t necessarily imply anything about the storm’s strength.
“It just means the winds with it are farther away from the center than if it was a smaller eye,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily have any major defining characteristic of the storm.”
Reppert added that a stronger storm that’s been around longer usually has a wider eye than a newer storm.
Most spaghetti models—or computer models illustrating potential storm paths—show Kong-rey making landfall on Taiwan’s southeast coast and cutting across the island before emerging with maximum sustained winds of around 75 mph. Models indicate that the typhoon will exhibit a northeastern turn away from China, which will take it out to the East China Sea.
Kong-rey’s strength is uncharacteristic for this time of year, The New York Times reported, adding that the typhoon is expected to make landfall equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
Reppert warned that strong winds up to 140 mph with higher gusts could hit southern Taiwan, though the storm is expected to weaken as it moves over the island. An AccuWeather report warned of “significant structural damage, mudslides and landslides” from the storm, as up to 3 feet of rain is expected to lash Taiwan. The storm could either maintain its intensity or strengthen before it makes landfall early Thursday.
Eastern China and Japan also are expecting heavy rain as the storm progresses.
A typhoon is classified as a severe tropical cyclone occurring in the Northwest Pacific. A hurricane is the term for the same type of storm in the Northeast Pacific and Northern Atlantic. Outside of these regions, the storms are called tropical cyclones.
Albino sisters born 12 years apart become modeling sensations
They may have been born more than a decade apart, but these siblings still have one remarkable thing in common.
Albinism is a rare genetic disorder that causes a lack of pigmentation in the skin, eyes and/or hair, giving albino people a unique look:
It’s very rare to have an albino child… which makes it remarkable that one Kazakh couple had not one, but two albino children 12 years apart.
Meet Asel and Kamila, the incredibly unique siblings that have turned into in-demand models:
Asel is the older sibling at 14. Her mother, Aiman Sarkitova, said she was stunned when she was born albino.
“When I gave birth to my eldest, genetics were not so developed with us,” she told the Daily Mail. “It is developing only now. The doctors were shocked.”
Imagine their surprise when, 12 years later, Kamila was born with the same condition.
It’s an incredible, striking sight to see these two siblings together—so the two teamed up and became a modeling duo.
Asel has already been modeling since she was 10, but with her 2-year-old sister at her side she’s become even more in-demand. The pair have over 33,000 followers on Instagram.
While their albinism has led to big success, it’s not always easy. The condition is also associated with medical conditions like a sensitivity to sunlight.
“If I go outside in the afternoon, then I definitely apply sunscreen, put on clothes to protect my skin, headgear or use an umbrella,” Asel said.
“In the evening, when there is almost no sun, it’s much easier for me.”
But through whatever ups and downs life throws at them, they’ll always have each other.
The condition is so rare that albino people can feel alone, but these two sisters are lucky that they’ll always have a family member just like them.
And hopefully, their success as models will shed some light on albinism and show how uniquely beautiful albino people can be.
“Many people do not know what albinos are,” Asel said.
We think these sisters are stunning! Share this remarkable story and beautiful photos!
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