Soudelor enters PAR; Rainy weekend seen in Luzon, Visayas

Published August 5, 2015 7:37am

At around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, August 5, Tropical Cyclone Soudelor—the strongest typhoon yet this year—crossed into the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and was given the local codename "Hanna".

PAGASA confirmed Soudelor's entry into the PAR in a Facebook post:

TC Update: as of 07AM today 05 Aug 2015, Typhoon SOUDELOR (International name) has entered Philippine Area of...
Posted by Dost_pagasa on Tuesday, August 4, 2015

PAGASA's posited Hanna at 1,420 km East of Calayan, Cagayan, with maximum sustained winds of 215 kph. By the agency's reckoning, the cyclone is not a super typhoon, defined as a cyclone with maximum sustained winds of over 220 kph.

The US' Joint Typhoon Warning Center's (JTWC's) separate reckoning showed that Hanna had actually weakened slightly to 130 knots or 240 kph as of 5 a.m. Philippine Time, enough to downgrade it into a Category 4 typhoon.

Late Tuesday, the JTWC had reckoned Soudilor's/Hanna's maximum winds at 140 knots or 260 kph, marking it as a Category 5 typhoon, the highest possible classification.

Rainy weekend ahead

GMA resident meteorologist Nathaniel "Mang Tani" Cruz reiterated earlier assurances that Soudelor/Hanna will not make landfall in the Philippines, although it will enhance the southwest monsoon over the weekend.

"Bagamat magiging maganda ang panahon sa Luzon at Visayas ngayong Miyerkules, ang paggalaw ni Soudelor (Hanna) pa-hilaga patungong Taiwan ay hahatak sa Habagat sa mga susunod na araw," he said.

Given Soudelor's/Hanna's size, its outer wind and rain bands may affect Batanes and other areas of extreme Northern Luzon. Storm signals may be hoisted over affected areas by Thursday at the earliest.

By Friday, Southern Luzon and Visayas can expect to see more enhanced monsoon rains, while the rains in Mindanao ease up.

A rainy weekend may be expected in Luzon, including Metro Manila, over the weekend.

For Wednesday, heavy monsoon rains and gale winds are affecting Mindanao. The public has been advised to be cautious of flash floods and landslides.

Soudelor's wrath in Saipan

Last weekend, Soudelor wreaked havoc on Saipan and other islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Hundreds of overseas Filipino workers and other residents in the US island of Saipan are now either living in rain-soaked houses or are totally homeless after Typhoon Soudelor directly hit the territory and damaged almost everything in its path from late Sunday night to early Monday morning.

It was the strongest typhoon to rip through Saipan in over a decade, forcing hundreds of island residents to flee to emergency shelters.

Saipan is the main island in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), where an estimated 10,000 OFWs and Filipino-Americans live and work.

The CNMI’s acting governor, Ralph DLG. Torres, declared a state of emergency for the entire CNMI on Monday morning.

The typhoon ripped off homes, flipped parked vehicles and small planes over, knocked down trees and power poles, flooded the main power plant, caused oil spills, shut down the airport and even blew off the roof of the only movie theater on island.

Many of the roads remained impassable as of Monday night. There were long lines of people and cars as only at least two gasoline stations were open as of Monday afternoon. Stores and other businesses were also closed.

Authorities said it could take weeks for power and water services to be restored in many of the areas. — with Haidee Eugenio, GMA News

Tags: soudelor, hanna