The powerful typhoon Bavi in the Western Pacific is currently heading towards Taiwan. It is expected to cross the north of the island during the overnight into Saturday, impacting capital city, Taipei.

Hurricane-force winds of over 125 miles per hour, waves around 10 metres high, and heavy rainfall of up to 1,000 mm are expected. That is an extremely large amount. As a result, there are fears of widespread flooding and landslides.

The typhoon has a diameter of around 1,000 kilometres, which is unusually large for a cyclone. Allowing the system to bring prolonged rainfall as it crosses the island, which also explains the high accumulation totals.

After passing over Taiwan, Bavi makes landfall on the east coast of China in a slightly weakened form. By then, both the rainfall and the gusts of wind are no longer quite as severe.

Over the past few days, the storm has already hit the Mariana Islands. Wind gusts of over 185 mph were recorded there, and numerous buildings were destroyed.

One reason for the high number of powerful typhoons could be El Niño, which causes sea temperatures in the eastern Pacific to rise. During an El Niño event, the likelihood of powerful cyclones in the Pacific generally increases.