PAGASA says no super typhoon coming

CEBU, Philippines — No “super typhoon” will hit the Philippines for the remainder of the year.

This according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as the agency dispels rumors that a typhoon as destructive as Yolanda will hit the country this month.

PAGASA-Cebu Officer-in-Charge Alfredo Quiblat, Jr. also urged the public to refrain from believing information that does not come from credible sources and from sharing the same.

“My advice to the public is to monitor always PAGASA-issued advisories. People should not easily believe fake news… a disturbance same as Yolanda is said to land in the country before the year ends. This report will only make people panic and this will be more of a disaster,” Quiblat said.

Typhoon Yolanda killed thousands and destroyed countless infrastructures when it hit Western Visayas in November 2013. Until today, survivors continue to pick their lives back.

Cebu experienced rains the past two days but Quiblat clarified that the weather disturbance hovering the seas east of Surigao del Sur is far from becoming a super typhoon.

A super typhoon was the newly-introduced classification of a tropical cyclone (locally known as “bagyo”) following the occurrence of Yolanda. It is the fifth category based on intensity.

The tropical cyclone that developed yesterday has characteristics of a tropical depression, which is in the first category.

The tropical cyclone was given local name Urduja, the 11th to form and enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the imaginary boundary enclosing the country’s landmass and seas.

Quiblat said Urduja is different from Yolanda because Yolanda, when it was still far from land, was already categorized as typhoon, the classification before super typhoon.

Still, he advised the public to be cautious of heavy rains as prolonged downpour may trigger flooding in low-lying zones and landslide in sloped areas.

Quiblat assured that the weather bureau in Mactan is monitoring the direction and movement of the weather disturbance continuously.

Aside from the tropical cyclone, PAGASA is also observing another weather system which is the tail end of a cold front that initially caused widespread rains over Cebu province yesterday.

Quiblat said, because of these external natural forces, rain events may be prevalent in succeeding days.

He said Cebu province will experience rains ranging from light to moderate which, at times, may become heavy.

Downpour is more likely expected on Thursday and Friday, as the province may be affected by the trough or extension of tropical depression Urduja.

For now, Quiblat said, PAGASA is considering two projected scenarios: the disturbance will drift away from Philippine landmass or it will make a landfall somewhere in Samar on Friday evening or Saturday morning. (FREEMAN)