Stormageddon Headed Toward The Philippines

Supertyphoon Haiyan is intensifying and is on a path towards the Philippines.

1. This is Haiyan. She’s a Typhoon.

2. A Typhoon is a storm system just like Hurricanes and Cyclones

The difference being that hurricanes (after the Caribbean god of evil, named Hurrican) are storm systems that form in the Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific Ocean. Typhoons (from the Greek word Typhoeus, a hundred-headed monster in Greek mythology interpreted as a whirlwind) are storms that form in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. And Cyclones (because it swirls) are storm systems that form in the southeastern Indian Ocean and southwestern Pacific. source

3. Typhoon Haiyan is projected to have winds between 260km/h and 300km/h before landfall

Can we call it Super Haiyan now…

4. If there was a Signal #5, this would be it.

The Philippines measures storm strength as Signals, and any storm above 185km/h is a Signal #4. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) considers any storm system with sustained winds of over 240 km/h as a Supertyphoon. The Saffir-Simpson Scale would consider Haiyan a rare Category 5.

5. There’s only been 23 Category 5 storms between 1928 and 2003

The strongest hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere was Gilbert in 1988. The 888 millibar central pressure recorded in Gilbert on Sept. 14, 1988, is the lowest ever recorded in an Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico storm.

The world record for the lowest tropical cyclone pressure is 870 millibars in Typhoon Tip in the northwest Pacific Ocean on Oct. 12, 1979. source

6. Locally named Yolanda, Haiyan will be one of the strongest storms to hit the Philippines.

The storm is expected to intensify (winds 260km/h-300km/h with central pressure at 950hPa) as it reaches the country.

7. Moreover Typhoon Haiyan is expected to bring intense rainfall…

According to NASA, rainfall on November 4 was at 50-60mm near the center. But is expected to bring down rainfall of upto 300mm when it hits the archipelago. For a better sense of what all these measurements mean, Cebu, one of the cities possible to be hit directly by the storm, has a November rainfall average of 120mm. This means that Haiyan is expected to reign in a months worth of rainfall

9. making flooding, storm surges and mudslides a serious threat.

“Rain totals along the path of Haiyan could top 200 mm (8 inches). Mudslides are a serious concern in the higher terrain, where localized totals of 250 to 300 mm (10 to 12 inches) are not out of the question.” source

“Haiyan will also produce a severe and inundating storm surge, especially along the eastern coast of southern Luzon and Samar islands.” source

“Haiyan will likely be the most dangerous tropical cyclone to affect the Philippines this year. This is particularly true since Tropical Depression Thirty dumped heavy rains over the central Philippines Monday, which helped saturate the soils.” source

Video above was from Typhoon Usagi which hit the Philippines in September and caused major damage.

10. The supertyphoon is expected to hit central Philippines on Thursday.

Please prepare. And hope everyone stays safe.

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