Tropical Cyclone Kalmaegi Maintains Category 3 Strength in South China Sea, Impacts Broad Region

As of Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Tropical Cyclone Kalmaegi has maintained its significant intensity, holding steady at Category 3 equivalent strength while positioned in the South China Sea west of the Philippines. The powerful system registered maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (70 knots) and a minimum central pressure of 970 hectopascals, according to reports from Wednesday. This level of organization signals an energetic atmospheric event demanding vigilance from maritime interests and coastal populations.

Forecasters project that Kalmaegi will continue on its northwestern track over the next 24 hours, posing a persistent threat of severe weather and hazardous sea conditions across adjacent maritime zones. The storm, which had previously caused devastation across parts of the central Philippines, is now threatening Vietnam, with landfall anticipated overnight between Thursday, November 6, and the morning of Friday, November 7, particularly across Quang Ngai and Dak Lak provinces.

The cyclone's influence extends beyond its immediate path, contributing to broader unsettled weather patterns across the region. The interaction of Kalmaegi with phenomena like equatorial Rossby and Kelvin waves is demonstrably enhancing cloud formation and unsettled weather across the Indonesian archipelago. Indirect but notable impacts are anticipated for Indonesian waters, with the northern Maluku Sea and western Sulawesi Sea bracing for moderate to heavy rainfall and waves potentially reaching 2.5 meters.

Furthermore, the storm is set to affect Thailand from November 7 to November 9, with authorities preparing for heavy rainfall and increased water management efforts in the northern and central regions. This wider atmospheric engagement highlights the interconnected nature of these systems, where an intense event in one area inevitably redistributes thermal energy across the globe. Analyzing the dynamics fueling Kalmaegi's intensity, such as its interaction with equatorial waves, offers crucial data for refining future predictive models.