Three storms to hit the Philippines this week by Kirsty McCabe
Typhoon Mitag slammed into the north-eastern Philippines after killing at least eight people in other parts of the country, while a deadly storm that moved away days earlier, is now heading back towards the country, complicating emergency preparations.
Mitag flooded at least 50 villages when making landfall in the coastal town of Palanan in Isabela, on Sunday. It has weakened slightly, though winds remain dangerous at 74 mph (120 kmh). While typhoon Mitag remains a threat to Northern and Central Luzon, Filipinos are bracing themselves for the return of tropical storm Hagibis later today.
There is an interaction going on between Mitag and Hagibis and Mitag’s exit will in effect pull Hagibis back to the country. This effect is known as the ‘Fujiwara effect’ – when two cyclones rotate in almost opposite positions on a single point. Mitag is the dominant of the two. When the dominant system turns, the other system (Hagibis) will also move. The last time a storm made a U-turn in the country was 10 years ago.
The returning Hagibis is expected to make landfall by Tuesday night. Hagibis may then meet up with another brewing storm, Nonoy on Tuesday. There is a possibility that these two weather systems will merge in the Philippine Sea. If that happens, the new storm would lift off and follow Mitag on its way to Japan.
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