Super Typhoon Pablo Enters Visayas

[GregZ]

Maximum Sustained Winds (1-min. avg) have increased to 260 km/hr near the center with higher gusts. Typhoon Force Winds (118 km/hr or more) extend outward up to 65 kilometers from the center...and Tropical Storm Force Winds (62-117 km/hr) extend outward up to 215 kilometers. Bopha remains a large-sized tropical cyclone with a diameter of 775 kilometers across. The 24-hour rainfall accumulation near the center of Typhoon Bopha is estimated to be extreme (400 mm).

http://weather.com.ph/announcements/super-typhoon-bopha-pablo-update-number-024a

1am Phil Time

Bopha (Pablo) is now considered an extremely catastrophic Category 5 Super Typhoon with winds of 260 km/hr...and could become the worst typhoon ever to hit Mindanao since Super Typhoon Kate (Titang) of October 1970. Its core is now approaching the coast of Surigao Del Sur and Davao Oriental. Possible Time of Landfall: between 4-6 am somewhere along Cateel Bay, Davao Oriental.

Important Note: Super Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) is almost three times the strength of Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong) which crossed North-Central Mindanao on December 16, 2011. Please take all precautionary measures on this dangerous cyclone. Refer to your national disaster agencies for more details.

Residents and visitors along Mindanao and Visayas should closely monitor the development of Bopha (Pablo).

Do not use this for life or death decision. This update is intended for additional information purposes only. Kindly refer to your national weather agency for official warnings, advisories or bulletins.

CURRENT STORM ANALYSIS

As of 12 midnight today, the eye of Super Typhoon Bopha was located approaching the coast of Davao Oriental and Surigao Del Sur...about 173 km east-southeast of Bislig City or 236 km east-northeast of Metro Davao...currently moving west to west-northwest with a forward speed of 31 km/hr in the general direction of Davao Oriental-Surigao Del Sur Area.

Maximum Sustained Winds (1-min. avg) have increased to 260 km/hr near the center with higher gusts. Typhoon Force Winds (118 km/hr or more) extend outward up to 65 kilometers from the center...and Tropical Storm Force Winds (62-117 km/hr) extend outward up to 215 kilometers. Bopha remains a large-sized tropical cyclone with a diameter of 775 kilometers across. The 24-hour rainfall accumulation near the center of Typhoon Bopha is estimated to be extreme (400 mm).

[GregZ]

The problem I have with this info is that Surigao del Norte is projected to get hit sooner and harder than anywhere else so why only a Signal 1 warning.

2 hours ago a Filipina from Surigao del Sur say level 3. I don't know her sourse, she just told me in message after I had asked earlier today

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2012/12/04/879839/storm-signals-%E2%80%98pablo%E2%80%99-hits-phl

Storm signals up as ‘Pablo’ hits Phl

By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 4, 2012 - 12:00am

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, storm signal No. 3 had been hoisted over Surigao del Norte, Siargao, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat province, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte and Samal Island.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I don't believe storms cross over as the N and S tropical bands move in opposite directions. But I'm only an amateur meteorologist, so I could easily be wrong!

I found an answer to my question and I think it says you are right (as in it appears from this that no typhoons have crossed the equator in this area at least)

"Bopha became a tropical depression unusually close to the Equator, at 3.6°N latitude. Tropical cyclones rarely form so close to the Equator, because they cannot leverage the Earth's rotation to get themselves spinning," he said.

Masters added that Pablo, which further intensified into a Category 5 typhoon on Monday at 7.4°N latitude, is the most southerly typhoon on record.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/03/12/pablo-category-5-supertyphoon-us-scientists

[Dougbert]

I don't believe storms cross over as the N and S tropical bands move in opposite directions. But I'm only an amateur meteorologist, so I could easily be wrong!

I found an answer to my question and I think it says you are right (as in it appears from this that no typhoons have crossed the equator in this area at least)

"Bopha became a tropical depression unusually close to the Equator, at 3.6°N latitude. Tropical cyclones rarely form so close to the Equator, because they cannot leverage the Earth's rotation to get themselves spinning," he said.

Masters added that Pablo, which further intensified into a Category 5 typhoon on Monday at 7.4°N latitude, is the most southerly typhoon on record.

http://www.abs-cbnne...n-us-scientists

Wow, that picture from orbit is pretty scary looking. Well-formed eye => really high winds. I hate to think about what is happening on Mindanao right now.

[Old55]

[tiger31]

ok where is all the action because it aint on mactan just heavy rain and a wee bit windy ? has anybody seen any pictures of damage anywhere yet ?

[Old55]

ok where is all the action because it aint on mactan just heavy rain and a wee bit windy ? has anybody seen any pictures of damage anywhere yet ?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/03/world/asia/philippines-typhoon/index.html

[GregZ]

This picture doesn't relay the strength of the storm, but it shows the SIZE and LOCATION pretty well. :-(

BE SAFE and don't think there is no threat because you have only seen a little rain and slight wind so far. The government is issuing storm warnings for a reason. This thing is big and strong and will go wherever & do whatever it is naturally inclined to do.

[Dougbert]

My GF works at a call center in Cebu City and she and other who live on Mactan were told to go home at ~1pm today. She is in Babag Dos and says it is very windy with heavy rain off and on right now. It has gotten much worse in the past hour. Looks like Pablo has moved off of Mindanao and has turned to the NW pretty sharply. Last position I saw was 8.8N 124E which is just about 70km due south of Tagbilaran.

[Dave Hounddriver]

Did you all watch the video from post 34? Watch it all the way to the end and listen to the guy in the last 5 seconds or so. He tells us that 3400 people are stranded on piers in Mindanao waiting for a Super Typhoon to hit because they are waiting for ferries that were cancelled. I pray he is wrong because they just could not survive. In a previous video on this thread there is a before and after video of a small island south of Palau. Before is tropical paradise and after is moonscape. Its only a low lying small island but the video is worth 10000 words. (follow the link to that video from post 3. The devastation is at the very end of the short video clip)