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Monday 26 December 2016

Typhoon Nock-Ten passes close to Manilla, Philippines

As of 13.00 Philippines time (16.00EDT), Typhoon Nock-Ten, named Nina in the Philippines, was passing about 120km south of Manilla, moving west at 25km/h. At this time, the Typhoon was making its eighth landfall - on Lubang Island, 130km SW of Manilla - as it passed across the Philippines' many islands and peninsulas. As a result of this land interaction, the Typhoon has become more ragged and its rainbands have weakened. The Philippines National Meteorological Agency, PAGASA, estimated maximum sustained winds near the centre near Lubang were still of the order of 130km/h with gusts to 215km/h and that the Typhoon would now move west into the South China Sea, where it would curve to the SW and weaken near the coast of Vietnam. (UPDATE: At 8pm EDT Nock-Ten had moved to a position 140km WSW of Manilla, away from the city, and was moving WNW at 20km/h with sustained winds near the centre of 120km/h and gusts to 180km/h prior to curving to the SW.)

The Typhoon arrived in the country on the Bicol Peninsula to the far east of Manila with sustained winds of 185km/h and gusts to 255km/h. The Guardian reported that at least four people have died, three in flash flooding, and 218,000 had moved to evacuation shelters. With Christmas festivities in progress, some forced evatuations were necessary. The Governor of Catanduanes province, the island off the east coast of Bicol Peninsula which first saw the Typhoon, said some of the villagers "are really hard-headed, they don't want to leave their houses because it's Christmas".

This afternoon, the Philippine media outlet InterAksyon reported that eight people were missing following the sinking of a roll-on roll-off ferry, with 47 rescued from three other boats and others either aground or sunk. Blackouts from downed powerlines and traffic dislocation from wind-borne debris blocked highways and hampered rescue efforts, while flooding from heavy rain threatened thousands living in slums. Many phone services were knocked out, and storm surges threatened to add to flooding problems.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world with several earthquakes and around 20 Typhoons on average each year. In the past 65 years, according to PAGASA, there have been seven Typhoons hit the islands on Christmas Day. Typhoons Meranti, Sarika and Haima caused widespread devastation affecting over one million people across northern Luzon between September and October this year. In November 2013, the nation was hit by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most destructive cyclones ever recorded. It caused the deaths of over 6,200 people, over 1,000 remained missing and about four million were displaced, while it is estimated that over 14 million people were affected by the disaster.

Deep low brings flooding and torrential rain to WA, NT and SA

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Yvette crossed the WA coastline near Broome yesterday afternoon with a central pressure about 996hPa and was absorbed into the circulation of a broad 990hPa low in central eastern WA. That low has brought a swath of heavy rain from the WA Kimberley into Central Australia, with Giles Weather Station, near the junction of the NT, SA and WA borders, receiving 85mm of steady rain in a little over two days to 6 this morning.

The low is currently in the far SW corner of the NT and moving SSE. Severe Weather Warnings are current for SW NT and much of the western half of SA for heavy rain and flash flooding, with damaging wind gusts near the low as it passes. Walungurru (formerly Kintore), which is 450km W of Alice Springs and close to the NT/WA border, has received a spectacular 231.6mm in 23 hours to 8am CST this morning of which 168.0 fell between 6pm and midnight last night, 127.8, or 5 inches in the old money, in a downpour between 8 and 10pm as the low skirted nearby. Similar localised torrential falls are expected near the low as it now makes its way towards the SA West Coast by tomorrow afternoon.