The next West Pacific tropical threat is brewing in the Philippine Sea
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Aug 20, 2020 5:50 PM EDT
Hongkongers were cleaning up their city in the wake of typhoon Higos as it moved away from the city on August 19.
Following Tropical Storm Higos, AccuWeather forecasters have pinpointed a new tropical system in the West Pacific Ocean.
On Saturday morning, local time, Tropical Storm Bavi formed just east of Taiwan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Bavi is known as Igme in the Philippines.
Bavi is located over the warm waters of the Philippine Sea and will be in an area of light wind shear, or the change in direction and speed of wind in the atmosphere, through the weekend.
The above satellite image shows Tropical Storm Bavi spinning east of Taiwan on the evening of Friday, August 21. (Photo/RAMMB)
According to AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls, the light wind shear and warm waters will provide an environment for the system to strengthen as it passes east of Taiwan and over the Ryukyu Islands this weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Before this system strengthened into Tropical Storm Bavi Saturday morning, local time, it brought rounds of heavy rain to the Philippines to end the week.
Bavi is expected to continue on a northward trajectory between Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands of Japan Saturday, bringing rounds of heavy rainfall through much of the weekend.
By Sunday, the heavy rain is forecast to expand over the remainder of the Ryukyu Islands.
A path close to Taiwan will allow rainfall totals to reach 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) along the eastern side of the island. Rainfall totals across the Ryukyu Islands are forecast to reach 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 250 mm (10 inches), which can lead to flash flooding and mudslides.
"Damaging winds will be possible across the Ryukyu Islands depending on the intensity of the system as it passes by," said Nicholls. He added that rough seas are expected across the Philippine Sea throughout the weekend.
Rough seas will also be possible across parts of the East China Sea as the tropical system passes through the area.
Late Sunday and through early next week, this tropical system is forecast stall and slow down ahead of reaching southwestern Japan or the Korean Peninsula.
"The track of the tropical system will be heavily influenced by a front moving through northeastern China into southeastern Russia. Should the front stay farther north, the tropical system could be pulled northward into the Korean Peninsula. If the front stalls over the Korean Peninsula, it is more likely to steer eastward into Japan," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis.
Tropical moisture streaming in from the south as well as the rain with the front will make for a wet first half of the week from eastern China through North Korea, South Korea and southwestern Japan.
As such, interests across southern Japan, as well as South Korea, should monitor the path of this system for potential impacts into the beginning of next week.
This is not the first tropical system to try to organize near the northern Philippines. Higos, which made landfall over southern China on Wednesday, local time, got its start as a tropical disturbance near Luzon.
Higos strengthened into a tropical storm in the middle of the South China Sea on Tuesday, and, at one point, packed winds of 95 km/h (60 mph) as it traveled northwestward.
As a tropical storm, Higos made landfall on Wednesday in the southern Guangdong province of China, just southwest of Hong Kong and Macau.
AccuWeather forecasters are also monitoring Genevieve near Baja California Sur in the East Pacific as well as a number of features in the Atlantic Ocean Basin.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
The next West Pacific tropical threat is brewing in the Philippine Sea
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Aug 20, 2020 5:50 PM EDT
Hongkongers were cleaning up their city in the wake of typhoon Higos as it moved away from the city on August 19.
Following Tropical Storm Higos, AccuWeather forecasters have pinpointed a new tropical system in the West Pacific Ocean.
On Saturday morning, local time, Tropical Storm Bavi formed just east of Taiwan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Bavi is known as Igme in the Philippines.
Bavi is located over the warm waters of the Philippine Sea and will be in an area of light wind shear, or the change in direction and speed of wind in the atmosphere, through the weekend.
The above satellite image shows Tropical Storm Bavi spinning east of Taiwan on the evening of Friday, August 21. (Photo/RAMMB)
According to AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls, the light wind shear and warm waters will provide an environment for the system to strengthen as it passes east of Taiwan and over the Ryukyu Islands this weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Before this system strengthened into Tropical Storm Bavi Saturday morning, local time, it brought rounds of heavy rain to the Philippines to end the week.
Bavi is expected to continue on a northward trajectory between Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands of Japan Saturday, bringing rounds of heavy rainfall through much of the weekend.
By Sunday, the heavy rain is forecast to expand over the remainder of the Ryukyu Islands.
A path close to Taiwan will allow rainfall totals to reach 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) along the eastern side of the island. Rainfall totals across the Ryukyu Islands are forecast to reach 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 250 mm (10 inches), which can lead to flash flooding and mudslides.
"Damaging winds will be possible across the Ryukyu Islands depending on the intensity of the system as it passes by," said Nicholls. He added that rough seas are expected across the Philippine Sea throughout the weekend.
Rough seas will also be possible across parts of the East China Sea as the tropical system passes through the area.
Late Sunday and through early next week, this tropical system is forecast stall and slow down ahead of reaching southwestern Japan or the Korean Peninsula.
"The track of the tropical system will be heavily influenced by a front moving through northeastern China into southeastern Russia. Should the front stay farther north, the tropical system could be pulled northward into the Korean Peninsula. If the front stalls over the Korean Peninsula, it is more likely to steer eastward into Japan," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis.
Tropical moisture streaming in from the south as well as the rain with the front will make for a wet first half of the week from eastern China through North Korea, South Korea and southwestern Japan.
As such, interests across southern Japan, as well as South Korea, should monitor the path of this system for potential impacts into the beginning of next week.
Related:
This is not the first tropical system to try to organize near the northern Philippines. Higos, which made landfall over southern China on Wednesday, local time, got its start as a tropical disturbance near Luzon.
Higos strengthened into a tropical storm in the middle of the South China Sea on Tuesday, and, at one point, packed winds of 95 km/h (60 mph) as it traveled northwestward.
As a tropical storm, Higos made landfall on Wednesday in the southern Guangdong province of China, just southwest of Hong Kong and Macau.
AccuWeather forecasters are also monitoring Genevieve near Baja California Sur in the East Pacific as well as a number of features in the Atlantic Ocean Basin.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo