There is no doubt about what the story currently dominating the weather headlines is. Super typhoon ‘Nanmadol’ is poised to wreak havoc in the already storm ravaged Philippines.
Details of the problems already faced by the islands were given in yesterday’s weather news, so today I will provide an update on the latest details.
Some estimates now put the death toll from the previous storm at up to 600 people. Thousands are still displaced from their homes, with little hope of returning as the next powerful storm heads in.
As of about 0900 GMT, the eye of Super typhoon ‘Nanmadol’ was still just about offshore, but the peripheral winds were already very strong over land. To reach super typhoon status, a storm must be producing winds of over 250 km/h or 155 mph, and the strongest winds within ‘Nanmadol’ were being estimated at nearly 300 km/h or just over 180 mph.
Forecast models continue to predict that the storm will move inland, across the island of Luzon, passing not far to the north of the capital Manila. No doubt there will be even more devastation to come.
The Philippines can expect to be affected by an average of 19 storms in a typical year, and the fact that ‘Nanmadol’ comes so hot on the heels of the previous storms means that relief efforts are being severely hampered.
Elsewhere in Asia, travel chaos reigns in China where thick fog has grounded countless aircraft and made roads impassable. The fog is not expected to clear until the weekend.
