Hurricane Season 2019: Riding into the storms

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Typhoon "Kammuri" leaves a trail of destruction, kills at least 10 people in the Philippines

Typhoon "Kammuri", locally called Tisoy, unleashed its wrath across the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction as the strongest typhoon to hit the nation in 2019. As of December 3, four fatalities have been reported, over 225 000 have been evacuated from Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Calabarzon and Mimaropa. Many regions have been brutally battered by floods and strong winds.

According to weather bureau PAGASA's update on December 3 issued at 12:00 UTC, Kammuri maintains its strength as it moves westward over Mindoro strait. As of 11:00 UTC, the center was estimated at 145 km (90 miles) north of Coron, Palawan, moving west at 25 km/h (15 mph) packing maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h (81 mph) and gusts to 160 km/h (99 mph). Tropical Cyclone Signal #3 remains in several provinces in Luzon.

The violent typhoon made its first landfall in Sorsogon on December 2 at 15:00 UTC with winds of up to 209 km/h (130 mph), making it a Category 4 hurricane equivalent. The second landfall was in Masbate at 20:00 UTC, the third one in Marinduque at 20:30 UTC and the fourth on December 3 in Oriental Mindoro at 04:00 UTC.

As Kammuri lashed the affected areas, uprooted trees and fallen power towers can be seen everywhere, as well as ruined establishments and scattered debris. Albay's Legazpi airport, one of the major airports in the Bicol region, sustained severe damage along with SM City Legazpi.

Gubat disaster officer Luisito Mendoza said authorities were still assessing the damage in the town, but initial reports showed extensive devastation. "There is one place where water levels reached the roof. Our own personnel got hit by shattered glass," he said.

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Tropical Storm "Pawan" about to make landfall over Somalia

Tropical Cyclone "Pawan" is slowly weakening on its way toward Somalia. Landfall is expected late November 6 into November 7, south of Eyl, an ancient port town in the northeastern Nugal province. Pawan is the 8 named storm of the 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.

Tropical Cyclone "Pawan" (06A), located approximately 926 km (575 miles) south of Salalah, Oman, and has tracked southwestward at 15 km/h (9 mph) over the past 6 hours, JTWC forecasters noted at 21:00 UTC on December 5, 2019.

Animated enhanced infrared imagery reveals a partially exposed low-level circulation center under upper-level convection. The initial position is supported by a bullseye 17:34 UTC, December 5 METOP-A ASCAT pass, lending high confidence to the initial position.

The initial intensity of 65 km/h (40 mph) is hedged on the lower end of a consensus of subjective Dvorak and automated current intensity estimates ranging up to 72 km/h (44 mph).

The cyclone remains in an area of moderate vertical wind shear and strong poleward flow aloft. The persistent southerly flow aloft has caused the majority of the flaring convection to be limited to the northern quadrants of the system.