Computer simulation of the wind field associated with Typhoon Hagupit on Dec. 5, 2014.

Image: http://earth.nullschool.net

By Andrew Freedman2014-12-05 11:25:50 -0500

If there's one thing the Philippines do not need, it's another super typhoon. Parts of the country, particularly the island of Samar, are still picking up the pieces after last year's devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan, which was one of the most powerful storms ever to make landfall anywhere.

While Super Typhoon Hagupit, which is also known as Ruby in the Philippines, will not strike with nearly the same ferocity, it presents a deadly array of threats to the Philippines, including its densely populated capital of Manila. As of Friday morning ET, Typhoon Hagupit had maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, which is the equivalent of a high-end Category 4 storm, and the minimum wind threshold required for super typhoon status.

Typhoon Hagupit (or "Ruby" in the Philippines) track forecast from PAGASA on Dec. 5, 2014.

The Philippines' weather agency, known by the acronym PAGASA, and the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) forecast the storm to either make landfall on Samar or skirt just to the north, before making a beeline for Manila. PAGASA has placed 34 geographic areas under storm warnings, including the islands of Mindanao and Luzon, as well as the city of Tacloban, where evacuations have been underway.

The storm has weakened considerably from its peak strength as a strong Category 5 storm on Wednesday, but is holding its own, rather than continuing to weaken significantly before arriving in the Philippines. On Thursday night, the JTWC had forecast continued weakening, but backed off that forecast by Friday morning.

Manila, the low-lying nation's capital, has a population of 12 million, and experiences flooding in heavy rainfall events, as well as storm surge situations.

View post:

Super Typhoon Hagupit to lash Philippines for 3 days with flooding and high winds