Typhoon Hagupit in the western Pacific Ocean is captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite December 3, 2014. Image: NASA
The Philippines is on track to get walloped by yet another super typhoon as a strong Category 5 storm takes aim at the central Philippines.
According to a Dec 4 update from the Japan Meteorological Agency, Typhoon Hagupit was listed as a “violent” cyclone, located in position N11°05′(11.1°), E130°55′(130.9°) and tracking WNW at 20 kilometers per hour. The storm was packing 115 knot maximum sustained winds, with gusts up to 165 knots (that’s almost 190 mph!).
A report from the Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued at 11 p.m. local time Thursday said that Hagupit, locally known as Typhoon Ruby, was located 570 km east of Guiuan in Eastern Samar with maximum sustained winds of 205 kph near the center, with gusts up to 240 kph. The storm was expected to be at 270 km East of Borongan, Eastern Samar by Friday evening, with landfall expected over the Eastern Samar-Northern Samar area on Saturday. By Sunday evening, the storm is expected to be at 65 km East of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The storm is expected to bring torrential rainfall and a massive storm surge up to 4 meters.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center has clocked maximum gusts up to 180 knots, or 207 mph.
Storm warnings have been issued across most of the central Philippines.
Super Typhoon Hagupit could take a similar path to that of 2013’s Haiyan, which made landfall as one of the strongest storms ever recorded, devastating the area and killing thousands.
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