Yolanda's 'violent' winds close in fast; PHL braces for impact

Published November 7, 2013 4:32am

(Updated 5:50 a.m.) Yolanda, rated a Category 5 super typhoon in international weather forecasts and a typhoon by PAGASA, began dumping rain and whipping eastern and other sections of Mindanao early Thursday morning, Filipino weather forecasters said.

Public Storm Signals 1 and 2 have been raised over several provinces and islands.

The powerful cyclone picked up its pace to 35 kilometers per hour (kph) from 30 kph and is expected to have near-center winds of 231 kph just before it slams into the Philippines' midsection, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), which in its 2:50 a.m. update described Yolanda's intensity as "violent."

Hours after entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) intensified further as it continued to move toward Eastern Visayas, PAGASA said.

Expected landfall zone

The JMA said that its "probability circles" show the cyclone slamming into Samar and Leyte later today, Nov. 7.

PAGASA forecaster Meno Mendoza said Yolanda may make landfall over Eastern Visayas early Friday.

"Inaasahan nating lumakas pa ito dahil nasa karagatan pa," Mendoza said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He said their models show Yolanda, which entered the Philippine area of responsibility at midnight Wednesday, may exit the PAR between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

As of 4 a.m., Mendoza said Yolanda was estimated at 822 km east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.

It packed maximum sustained winds of 215 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 250 kph, and is forecast to move west-northwest at 30 kph.

It did explain, however, that "tropical cyclones do not necessarily move along the lines connecting the centers of probability circles," which were shown slicing through Eastern Visayas first, then Central Visayas, and the edges of Mindoro and Palawan.

The provinces of Bohol and Cebu, still reeling from last month's devastating earthquake are also within the expected diameter of Yolanda.

Local governments and disaster preparedness team along Yolanda's path have been placed on heightened alert and are helping their areas brace for the cyclone's impact.

Storm signals

Mendoza said areas under Storm Signal No. 2 are:

Eastern Samar
Samar
Southern Leyte
Surigao del Norte
Siargao Island
Dinagat Island
Northern part of Surigao del Sur
Northern part of Agusan del Norte

Areas under Storm Signal No. 1 are:

Camarines Norte
Camarines Sur
Catanduanes
Albay
Sorsogon
Ticao Island
Burias Island
Masbate
Romblon
Marinduque
Southern Quezon
Aklan
Iloilo
Guimaras
Negros Occidental
Negros Oriental
Cebu
Camotes Island
Leyte
Southern Leyte
Biliran Island
Camiguin
Misamis Oriental
Agusan del Sur
Rest of Surigao del Sur

Mendoza said Yolanda brings "heavy to intense" rain and is likely to affect almost all of the Philippines, with Northern Luzon likely to be the only area spared. He said Metro Manila may be affected also as the typhoon is projected to exit via Mindoro. — ELR, GMA News

Tags: bagyongyolanda, supertyphoon