01 Typhoon Soudelor
Super Typhoon Soudelor threatens large parts of Asia
01:35 - Source: CNN

Are you affected by the typhoon? Share your photos and videos with CNN iReport , but only if you can do so safely.

Story highlights

A typhoon becomes a super typhoon when it has winds equal to or greater than 150 mph

The storm's winds peaked Monday at 180 mph; winds on Tuesday were churning at 150 mph

Soudelor is expected to continue to weaken before making landfall

CNN  — 

Super Typhoon Soudelor is taking aim at Taiwan and China, threatening damaging winds, destructive storm surge and flooding rains.

The storm’s winds peaked Monday at 180 miles per hour, making it the strongest typhoon so far this year, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Winds on Tuesday were churning at 150 mph.

The storm is forecast to continue to weaken before making landfall, but is still expected to be a large and powerful typhoon – likely equivalent to a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane – when it hits Taiwan. Current projections put it over the island early Saturday morning local time.

The West Pacific Basin has seen a total of 10 typhoons so far in 2015. Of those, five have been super typhoons, which is more than four – the average for the whole year.

A typhoon becomes a super typhoon when it has winds equal to or greater than 150 mph.