I recently got pulled up for calling a mid-latitude storm a hurricane because hurricanes develop in a different part of the Atlantic but it is pretty safe to call what is about to hit the Philippines a Typhoon because all the headlines are screaming: 'Catastrophic damage to be caused by Typhoon Haiyan'.
Meteorologists are predicting winds of up to 195 mph which would make it the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at landfall.
As Typhoon Haiyan approached land, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Hawaii said maximum sustained winds were 195 mph, with gusts up of to 235 mph and offered the ominous news that 'There aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand 195-mile-an-hour winds'.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from villages in the typhoon's path but the consolation is that Haiyan is a fast-moving storm, so flooding from heavy rain may not be as it could be but after the Philippines, both Vietnam and Laos are expected to be hit.
President Benigno Aquino III has warned people to leave high-risk areas, including 100 coastal communities where forecasters said the storm surge could reach up to 23ft and assured the public that he has placed military cargo planes, helicopters and 20 navy ships on standby.
To think we were worried about 80mph winds last month, this is going to horrific.
No comments:
Post a Comment