Story highlights Meranti went from 85 mph to 180 mph winds in just 24 hoursCould be the strongest to hit Taiwan in 16 yearsSimilar track to Super Typhoon Nepartak, which struck Taiwan and mainland China in July(CNN) It only took 24 hours for Super Typhoon Meranti, which is threatening Taiwan and mainland China, to roar from the equivalent of a Category 1 storm to a top-scale Category 5. Meranti is forecast to make landfall along the southern tip of the island of Taiwan, home to more than 23 million people, on Wednesday morning local time. Even though Meranti, which likely will still be a super typhoon at landfall (meaning the winds are in excess of 150 mph/240 kph) on the southern tip, the entire island will feel the storm's wrath. The tropical storm-force wind field from Meranti stretches more than 350 miles (560 km) from one end to the other; Taiwan is only about 230 miles long. Dangerous winds, however, are only one of the potentially devastating impacts Meranti will unleash on Taiwan and then mainland China.

Source: CNN September 12, 2016 20:22 UTC