Supertyphoon Hagupit "Ruby" - 05:00 PM Latest Forecast December 6, 2014

MANILA - Typhoon Ruby (international name Hagupit) will hammer provinces, cities, and towns in the central Philippines for up to 3 days, according to the latest advisory issued by state weather bureau PAGASA. The Visayas will feel the full brunt of the typhoon, with cyclone-strength winds, intense rainfall, and storm surges hitting its eastern provinces starting Saturday before it makes landfall Saturday night or Sunday morning over the Eastern Samar-Northern Samar area. The typhoon will then make its way across central Visayas before exiting Mindoro and into the West Philippine Sea Monday night. PAGASA, in its advisory issued 11pm Friday, said Ruby has maintained its strength at 195 kilometers per hour maximum sustained winds, which would merit a storm signal number 4 for areas in its direct path 12 hours before it hits them. The typhoon has slowed down and is moving west at 10kph, which would mean a prolonged period of rain, winds, and storm surges in affected communities. PAGASA said Ruby is forecast to be 85 km northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar by Saturday night, 75 km northwest of Masbate City by Sunday night, and 150 km west of Calapan City by Monday night. The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Watch Center (JTWC), which uses different methods and standards in measuring intensity of tropical cyclones, said Ruby has regained strength and is again a supertyphoon. The JTWC expects Ruby to reach its peak on Saturday with 250 kph 10-minute sustained winds and 305 kph gusts. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center in the Asia-Pacific, also raised Ruby's status again to a "violent typhoon," the highest category. Ruby underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, which caused it to weaken temporarily before regaining strength again after gained a new eyewall, according to US weather forecasters. The JTWC said Ruby will intensify before making landfall in Eastern Visayas in around 24 hours before weakening as it interacts with the landmass.
Although the storm moved further to the north, the areas hit by last year’s super typhoon Yolanda [Haiyan] are still expected to be hit by Ruby. Several provinces in the Yolanda corridor were placed under public storm signal no. 2 while more areas were placed under public storm signal no. 1.

LATEST STORM SIGNAL AS OF 05:00PM DECEMBER 6, 2014

Heavy rains, slow-moving but intense storm

Ruby brings a lot of rain. Areas within its 700-km diameter could experience 7.5 to 20 mm per hour, rated by PAGASA as heavy to intense. According to GMA News, however, Ruby has slowed down from 30 km/h to 15 km/h. Although this might sound like good news, this is actually not a good sign because the longer the typhoon stays at sea, the more rain and bigger power it brings once it hits land. A very slow storm would also be difficult to track and could change course without warning. With its heavy rains, the slow-moving storm is expected to bring heavy damage to several areas. It is forecasted to hit land in Eastern Samar by Saturday afternoon but would still be in Northern Samar by Sunday and Romblon on Monday. The intensified storm brings gustiness of up to 250 km/h, which could greatly affect the waters in the areas placed under public storm warning signals. As such, small vessels are not permitted to go out to sea to prevent accidents. Those living in coastal areas are warned against storm surges, especially once the typhoon hits landmass. ‘Yolanda’-hit areas on heightened alert Many of the areas hit by Yolanda are still struggling to cope with the utter devastation brought by the supertyphoon last year. Typhoon Ruby/Hagupit is expected to affect these areas, even if these may not be directly hit by the eye of the storm. Residents of Tacloban have already been evacuated in anticipation of the storm’s arrival. News Source(s) : GMA News, Inquirer, Rappler

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