Tuesday, April 15, 2008 19 more storms coming to RP
PHILIPPINE Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) 7 Chief Meteorological Officer Oscar Tabada yesterday said typhoon Ambo, the first to hit the country this year, is now in Palawan.
But the Capitol is not taking any chances, with Cebu Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council’s (PDCC) Doris Alegado saying they are still “closely monitoring the south through our deputized coordinators.”
She said that even if Ambo could no longer be felt yesterday, they remain wary because behaviors of storms can never be completely predicted.
The coordinators, she said, were told to warn the public against going to the beaches, and owners of small boats were advised to stay off the sea for now.
Tabada said there was no report that Ambo caused damage to properties, as storm signal number one was lowered at 5:00 p.m. yesterday.
But he echoed Alega-do’s warning, saying that though the sun is already shining, the sea is still dangerous to small crafts and fishing boats because of strong and big waves.
He said the Philippines can expect at least 19 more storms and typhoons, as the country is visited by an average of 19 to 20 of such weather phenomena each year.
Tabada said Ambo passed by southern Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Oriental Negros at the speed of 45 kilometers per hour, raising signal number one in these areas.
In particular, it passed by Tagbilaran City at 4 a.m., Dumaguete City at 10 a.m., and was in Palawan at 2:00 p.m., yesterday.
Before Ambo reached Cebu, though, the PDCC already informed all southern Cebu towns of the storm.
“Southern Cebu is experiencing cloudy skies but no rains. There was rain early this morning,” read the the memorandum Cebu Provincial Coordinator Estrellita Escañan sent to all towns.
Tabada said Cebu will now enjoy fine weather, at least for the next week.
He said Pagasa’s new satellite, installed last October 2007, detected no low pressure area in the Pacific Ocean, where storms and typhoons are formed.
May is the start of the rainy season, he said, and by June, wind direction shifts from the northeast monsoon (Amihan) to the southeast moonsoon (Habagat).
Tabada added that more typhoons strike the Visayas, particularly Cebu, in July and August.
Asked if Ambo came as a surprise because it is summer yet, he said it was still normal because Pagasa expects one to two storms a month.
He said a typhoon hit Cebu in April 1991, and a strong typhoon, Bebing, in April 1994, which caused heavy damage.
Though there was no typhoon from January to March this year, Cebu experienced more rain due to the La Niña phenomenon, plus the so-called “tail-end of the cold front”
that made rain colder.
Tabada said weather already “normalized” early this month. (EOB/JGA)
