Japan’s weather agency identifies tropical cyclone Cempaka as Typhoon No. 32 of 2026 in its Japanese bulletins. The U.S. National Weather Service office in Guam used Tropical Storm Cempaka and identifier 31W in its sixth advisory. Both products refer to the named storm Cempaka. Start with the name and the date when comparing the two, then check each agency’s analysis time and terminology. For the current position and forecast, open the latest official bulletin. The observations below are dated examples from 7–8 November. Japan Meteorological Agency storm map and National Weather Service Guam Advisory 6
Which name and number identify the storm?
Cempaka is the Roman-letter name on the regional list maintained by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) in its role as the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center in Tokyo. The Japanese rendering is チャンパカ. JMA explains that its Japanese numbers follow the sequence of qualifying storms in a calendar year. The number used in Japan is therefore a useful way to find a Japanese-language bulletin. When searching across agencies, use Cempaka and the date together. The Guam advisory number, the storm’s U.S. identifier and the Japanese storm number each label a different thing. JMA’s name and numbering guide and the regional naming list
There is also a difference between a Japanese bulletin title and an English intensity category. JMA’s Japanese term 台風 applies from about 17 metres per second of maximum wind. In JMA’s international classification, Tropical Storm starts at 34 knots and Typhoon starts at 64 knots. An English report can call the system a tropical storm while a Japanese headline still identifies it as Typhoon No. 32. Check the intensity field and the language of the product before treating different terms as conflicting accounts. JMA’s definitions and JMA’s intensity terminology
For a family message or a shared weather note, put the name first and then put the number in context. “Cempaka, Japan’s No. 32” gives readers an easy phrase to search for in both languages. If you include an advisory number as well, label the issuing office. “Guam Advisory 6” identifies one bulletin in that office’s series. It is useful when you want someone to see the exact numbers you saw at that moment. RSMC Tokyo’s cyclone information and Guam Advisory 6
What two dated advisories showed
JMA’s 18:45 Japan time bulletin on 7 November gave an analysis valid at 18:00. It placed the centre near the Ogasawara Islands at about 20.2° north and 142.2° east. The agency gave a central pressure of 1002 hPa, a maximum wind near the centre of 18 m/s and a maximum gust of 25 m/s. It described movement toward the northwest at 30 km/h. These values describe the dated analysis. Use the live map to see the bulletin currently in force. JMA’s storm information
The Guam office’s Advisory 6 used a position valid at 15:00 UTC on 7 November. It put the centre at 20.9° north, 140.9° east and described west-northwest motion away from the Marianas. It reported maximum sustained winds of 70 mph for that analysis. The advisory’s local date was 8 November because it was issued just after 01:00 Chamorro Standard Time. The issue date alone can make two bulletins look farther apart than they are. Compare the valid time in UTC before comparing the positions. Guam Advisory 6
The JMA position above was valid at 09:00 UTC, six hours before the Guam position. A useful note would put 09:00 UTC beside the first pair of coordinates and 15:00 UTC beside the second. Anyone reading the note can then see which position came first. The difference between those coordinates describes two dated analyses. It does not establish the storm’s motion beyond the second one. For later movement, compare later bulletins from the same series. JMA’s storm map and Guam’s analysis
The wind entries need their own labels. JMA’s explanation of its products identifies the maximum wind as a ten-minute average and lists a gust separately. The Guam bulletin uses miles per hour and reports a sustained-wind value. Converting kilometres or metres per second to miles per hour changes the units. It does not make two products with different valid times and reporting conventions directly comparable. For a dated summary, report each value with its issuing agency, time, unit and field name. JMA’s guide to cyclone products
How to read the map’s forecast circles
Start with the marker for the analysed storm centre. Then look for the future circles and the time printed beside each one. JMA explains that its forecast circle represents an area with a 70 percent probability of containing the cyclone centre at that specified time. The radius expresses uncertainty about the position of the centre. The actual extent of the wind field is shown with different markings. The centre points of successive circles can help you see the general forecast direction, but each point belongs to its own forecast time. JMA’s map and forecast legend
The dated 7 November JMA bulletin illustrates that distinction. Its forecast for 06:00 on 8 November gave a centre near 21.3° north and 139.7° east, with a forecast-circle radius of 65 kilometres. The coordinates describe the centre of the forecast circle at that time. A report that labels those coordinates as the measured storm position would be using the forecast row for the wrong purpose. To see where the centre was later analysed, open the observation for that time or the later dated track. JMA’s Cempaka track and JMA’s forecast explanation
On the same map, distinguish a currently analysed wind zone from the area in which storm-force winds could occur under the forecast. JMA’s legend describes the colours, line styles and thresholds. When a map is small, it can be easier to open the table view and read the observation and forecast fields separately. That also helps when you want to share a specific number without asking someone else to interpret a screenshot. JMA’s guide to symbols and tables
Read the clock before comparing two updates
A bulletin can show the time the analysis describes, the time the bulletin was issued and one or more future forecast times. The first JMA example was valid at 18:00 and issued at 18:45, both Japan time. The Guam bulletin issued at 01:08 Chamorro time described conditions at 01:00 Chamorro time, corresponding to 15:00 UTC on the previous calendar date. If you are comparing the storm’s location, match the analysis times. If you are determining which product arrived later, compare the issue times. JMA product timing and the Guam bulletin header
In a shared log, give forecast rows a separate heading. For example, a reader can record an observed position valid at 18:00 JST, then record a forecast valid at 06:00 JST the following day. Both may come from one bulletin, but the times describe different stages. When the second time comes around, find the next analysis and compare it with what the earlier forecast had projected. This is a more useful comparison than setting two screenshots side by side with their dates cropped out. RSMC Tokyo’s advisory notes
Where to check information for a particular place
Use the cyclone track for the regional picture. For a location in Japan, use the current warnings and weather explanations for that area to check what authorities say about local conditions. JMA publishes national and regional explanations alongside its track products. For a marine route, use the marine bulletin for the correct waters and time window. These products give different geographic levels of detail. A distant position on the regional track can coexist with a separate notice relevant to a specific route or port. JMA weather explanations and JMA marine warnings
If a journey depends on a ferry or flight, look up the service’s own dated status once you know which official weather update applies. A forecast describes expected weather. An operator’s notice tells passengers whether a specific service is running or has changed. Keep the links separate in any message you share. For another recent Japanese weather-agency report where the source and timestamp matter, see our guide to the western Shizuoka earthquake bulletins.
What Japan’s Trending Now list showed
At 20:45 UTC on 7 November, Japan’s Google Trends Trending Now view placed “全般台風情報、台風第32号” second, with 200K+ and the status Active. The capture used the past 24 hours, all categories and all trends, sorted by descending search volume. Related terms included the Marianas. The higher earthquake query was already covered separately. The live list changes, so these figures describe the captured view. The agency bulletins establish the storm facts. Google Trends for Japan
That Japanese search wording points readers toward a general typhoon bulletin, while the Marianas term makes the Guam office’s view useful for readers looking at the storm from farther south. Someone looking for the number can start with the Japanese map. Someone looking for the name’s spelling can check the regional naming list. Someone comparing the two agencies can use the time and field labels to identify comparable figures. These are different questions that a single short storm headline can leave open. JMA’s naming list and Guam Advisory 6
What the wind field adds to the centre position
JMA’s 18:00 analysis on 7 November gave separate north and south extents for its strong-wind area. It reported 280 kilometres to the north and 165 kilometres to the south. These distances use the same threshold within that product. They describe the distribution of wind around the cyclone centre. A point on the regional track alone cannot show this asymmetry. To compare two observations, keep the threshold with each distance and see whether the same agency published both rows. JMA’s storm analysis
The Guam advisory also gives different distances to the north and south for tropical-storm-force winds. It is useful for understanding that office’s later picture of the wind field. The two agencies’ numbers refer to separate valid times and definitions. If you want to follow how the JMA wind field changed, compare the north and south figures across consecutive JMA bulletins. If you want the conditions expected along one route, check the separate marine notice for that route. Guam Advisory 6 and JMA marine warnings
How to compare a forecast revision
Suppose someone saved a forecast for 06:00 Japan time and later saw a different map. Match the name first, then check whether both maps forecast the same hour or whether the newer one shows an observation. If both are forecasts for the same hour, the issue times show which one came later. If the second is an observation, compare the analysed position with the forecast circle from the earlier bulletin. That comparison answers a different question from whether the forecast changed between two issuances. JMA’s forecast guide
When a map travels in a group chat, keep its time zone and source link in the message. If the caption mentions a local warning, name the area and link that warning as well. Someone who opens the message later can then check the regional forecast and local information separately. A screenshot is easiest to interpret when it preserves the legend that explains which circles mark the forecast centre and which outlines describe winds. JMA weather explanations
For a reader checking only one detail, the product name can narrow the search. A storm track is a good starting point for the location of the centre. A regional weather explanation is a better starting point for the expected timing of weather in that region. If an older advisory is quoted in a news item, identify its date before comparing it with a newly issued warning. That gives both pieces of information a clear place in the timeline.
The next update to check
Open the current JMA map, select Cempaka if the storm appears in the active list and read the valid time beside the analysed position. Read the forecast time beside each future circle. For local conditions, move from the track to the relevant warning or weather explanation. The dated examples show how to interpret the first reports. The latest official product is the place to check whether the position, intensity or outlook has changed. Current JMA storm map and JMA weather explanations
Sources consulted 8 November 2026, Bangladesh time. Observations and forecasts are identified by their own valid times and issuing agencies. The illustration is an original conceptual view of a storm over open water.