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Updated April 18th, 2021 at 18:11 IST

Philippines prepares for flash floods as Surigae intensifies into super typhoon

The Philippines could witness flash floods and landslides as Surigate intensified while on the water to become the first super typhoon of 2021.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
Image Credits: swp_wx/twitter 
Image Credits: swp_wx/twitter  | Image:self
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The Philippines could witness flash floods and landslides as Surigate intensified while on the water to become the first super typhoon of 2021, the country’s meteorological department warned. Authorities added that the typhoon was currently swirling over the Philippines Sea to the east of the Bicol region. While there are lesser chances of it hitting the land, the country’s weather bureau warned that it could bring heavy rains and strong gushes of winds to the eastern Filipino province.

Colloquially known as Bising, the hurricane has entered Category 5 and could bring winds as strong as those hitting the archipelago at 215 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 265 kilometres an hour. The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center has labelled Surigae as a super typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of 165 knots and gusts of up to 200 knots.

“Considering the uncertainty in the track forecast of the typhoon, a westward shift in the current forecast track may result in potentially significant impacts,” the Philippine weather bureau said. “The possibility of a close approach scenario is not ruled out,”it added.

According to the Weather Channel, Surigae has continued its explosive deepening even on Sunday, reaching an estimated minimum central pressure of between 888 mb (per the Joint Typhoon Warning Center) and 895 mb (per the Japanese Meteorological Agency). This extremely low pressure combined with the super typhoon's extreme winds of 190 mph per JTWC place the storm not only at the top of the records for April typhoons but also near the top of the record books for any time of the year.

Land of Typhoons 

The Philippines, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, witnesses hurricanes and typhoons ubiquitously. In 2020, Super Typhoon Goni jolted the country. Like Bising, it was also a Category 5 typhoon. Apart from the Philippines, October-November also affected neighbouring states of Vietnam and Cambodia. 

Image Credits: swp_wx/twitter 

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Published April 18th, 2021 at 18:11 IST

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