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Typhoon Ruby slows down — why that might not be good news for us
By TJ DIMACALI, GMA News
Early Thursday evening, GMA News resident meteorologist Nathaniel "Mang Tani" Cruz reported that Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) had slowed its advance toward the Philippines from around 30 kph earlier in the morning down to 15 kph by nightfall.
Mang Tani explained that this is due to the lack of external forces — the typhoon's "steering flow" — moving Ruby forward.
However, the delay in its approach may not be good news.
While the slowdown may give us a bit more time to prepare for Ruby's arrival, it also gives the typhoon that much more time to develop and gain in strength.
In most cases, the longer a typhoon stays over the ocean, the greater the potential for it to draw energy from the warm, moist air around it. This could result in a stronger typhoon with stronger winds, making it more powerful by the time it makes landfall.
A typhoon that's moving half its original speed will also mean that the areas along its path will be under its influence twice as long.
This may also mean that external steering forces are affecting the typhoon. Slowing down, or even stalling, may signify a change in the typhoon's direction, which in turn will make forecasting its track a bit more difficult.
Ruby is expected to further slow down in the days to come. And this is why we need to track its every movement and be a step ahead in planning for whatever it brings. — With CP David/JST, GMA News
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