The Philippines is bracing for Typhoon Fung Wong, the 14th typhoon of the year, less than a week after Typhoon Kalmaegi left a swathe of destruction across the country before slamming into Vietnam, pummeling both countries with destructive winds and heavy rain.

Published 1 day ago, updated 2 hours ago

Update:  Sunday November 9

Typhoon Fung Wong which is bearing down on the Philippines’s largest island has been upgraded to super typhoon status and is expected to bring sustained winds of 185 km/h (155mph) and torrential rain to several areas on Sunday, according to the country’s meteorological service, Pagasa.

The eastern Bicol region was the first part of the Philippines to be directly hit by the storm on Sunday morning, with Luzon – the country’s main population centre – expected to be impacted by Sunday night.  Typhoon Fung Wong – known locally as Uwan – comes days after an earlier storm, Kalmaegi, left a trail of destruction and nearly 200 people dead.

Typhoon Uwan Follows Typhoon Kalmaegi

The Philippines Government Service Pagasa has issued a warning for the areas of Palawan, Visayas, Mindanao and Luzon saying Typhoon Uwan (Fung-Wong) is likely to bring life-threatening storm surges, more heavy rainfall and destructive winds early next week.

Uwan is forecast to intensify into a super typhoon before making landfall in the northern Philippines on Sunday evening November 9 or early Monday morning November 10.

The Philippines government has declared a state of calamity across the country as it prepares for Typhoon Uwan, only days after Typhoon Kalmaegi left a swathe of destruction across the country.   At least 188 people were killed and tens of thousands were evacuated, particularly from central areas including the populous island and tourist hotspot of Cebu.

Kalmaegi dumped the equivalent of a month’s worth of rain on the island in just 24 hours, sending torrents of mud and debris down mountainsides and into urban areas.

After Kalmaegi’s deadly passage through the Philippines,  the typhoon made landfall in central Vietnam late on Thursday November 6, uprooting trees, damaging homes and triggering power outages, before weakening as it moved inland.

Towns along Vietnam’s central coast were littered with debris

Storms Becoming more Powerful

Typhoon Kalmaegi was the 13th typhoon to form in the South China Sea this year and scientists have warned that storms such as Kalmaegi are becoming more powerful as global temperatures rise.

Last year, the Philippines was hit by six deadly typhoons in the space of a month, and in a rare occurrence in November, four tropical cyclones developed at the same time, suggesting that the storms might now be happening over shorter timeframes.

“Even if total cyclone numbers don’t rise dramatically annually, their seasonal proximity and impact potential could increase,” said Drubajyoti Samanta, a climate scientist at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.  “Kalmaegi is a stark reminder of that emerging risk pattern,” he added.

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Related News:

• Storm Declared Super Typhoon as it Hits the Philippines (BBC)
• Typhoon Uwan (Fung-Woon) Advisory Bulletin (PAGASA)
• Typhoon Kalmaegi Kills Almost 200 in the Philippines and Vietnam (BBC)
• Typhoon Kalmaegi Brings Rain and Destruction to Vietnam as Death Toll nears 200 in the Philippines (Reuters)
• As Typhoon Kalmaegi Wreaks Havoc in South East Asia, Scientists Say Rising Temperatures to Blame (Reuters)

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Related Links:

• Pagasa
• Joint Typhoon Warning Centre
• Noonsite Weather Resources
• Zoom.Earth Live Satellite

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This content was compiled by Noonsite from various sources.

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