Public urged: Be wary of tornadoes

MANILA, Philippines - The weather bureau yesterday warned the public of the possible occurrence of tornadoes this summer, particularly in Mindanao.

“It (tornado occurrence) is possible considering that tornadoes originate from cumulo-nimbus cloud,” said Nathaniel Servando, administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

“It is very prominent in Mindanao due to thunderstorms associated with the intertropical convergence zone,” he said.

A tornado hit coastal communities in Parang, Maguindanao last Thursday, damaging at least 25 houses.

Two days earlier, another tornado swept through the town proper of Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, killing an 11-year-old girl, injuring two others and destroying P400,000 worth of properties and crops.

PAGASA said the occurrence of tornadoes in the country is usual during summer, but of lesser intensity as compared with those in the United States.

It said tornado is considered a “summer event” that forms “when there is extreme heating of the ground surface.”

PAGASA is planning to put up a tornado warning system in the country. – With Ramil Bajo, Alexis Romero