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Showing posts with the label Conson

A relatively weak typhoon blacks out Manila

Typhoon Conson (Basyang) was a relatively weak typhoon with a small circulation. I have followed the cyclone's development from a weak low pressure area near Yap island to its intensification in the Philippine Sea as a category 1 typhoon. It got most of its steam from the deep and warm waters of the Philippine Sea. What I found very unusual is that one of the first storms of the season followed an almost westerly track. Check out the maybagyo.com forecast scenarios. Typhoons that follow this route usually do so late into the season in October and November. The reason given by meteorologists is that there was a strong high pressure steering ridge in southern China. Usually northwest Pacific typhoons swerve and take a curving path towards northern Luzon, Taiwan and Southern Japan during July. So Conson made a beeline for Metro Manila and by the time it passed over the city. it had a maximum wind speed of 95 km/hr with gusts of 110 km/hr. This made it as a tropical storm rather tha...