Tropical Storm Choi-wan douses Philippines with flooding rain
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Jun 3, 2021 9:56 AM EDT
The above satellite image shows Tropical Storm Choi-wan centered just east of the Philippine island of Visayas on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 1. (Photo/CIRA)
A tropical storm setting its sights on the Philippines will bring yet another dose of dangerous winds and rainfall.
During the final week in May, AccuWeather meteorologists began monitoring the West Pacific Ocean for tropical activity southeast of Guam. As the feature moved westward, it moved into an area of warm waters and less disruptive winds. On Saturday, it grew into a tropical depression before eventually becoming Tropical Storm Choi-wan on Monday. The storm is known as Dante in the Philippines.
A northwesterly track is expected from Choi-wan over the next several days, which will bring the center of the storm quite close to the eastern shores of several islands, including Samar, Catanduanes and Luzon into the end of the week.
Choi-wan made the first, of what could be several, landfalls across the Philippines when it moved over eastern Samar Tuesday evening, local time.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, local time, Choi-wan was delivering winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) and moving west-northwesterly. Those wind strengths are equivalent to that of a tropical storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic or East Pacific Ocean basins.
"With Choi-wan expected to track so close to land, it is unlikely that the tropical storm will be able to strengthen much this week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.
Still, Nicholls says it is possible that Choi-wan's sustained winds could near 100 km/h (62 mph), allowing the storm to briefly reach severe tropical storm intensity.
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On Monday night, dangerous seas were already starting to build east of Visayas and Mindanao islands. Dangerous water conditions are likely to persist for boaters in the area for much of the week.
Additionally, the tropical storm is likely to bring another dose of gusty winds and heavy rainfall to the eastern Philippines.
The strongest winds are likely on the eastern-facing coasts of the islands, where wind gusts may reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 120 km/h (75 mph). Winds of this speed would be capable of toppling trees and causing structural damage.
The more widespread threat from Choi-wan, however, is likely to be the the heavy, tropical rainfall. Downpours are forecast to reach virtually every island in the Philippines this week, but the heaviest rain is likely to stay closest to the center of the storm.
"Rainfall amounts of 75-150 mm (3-6 inches) are forecast from Samar and Leyte islands to eastern Luzon through Thursday, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 300 mm (12 inches)," Nicholls warned. This includes cities like Tacloban, Naga and Tuguegarao.
This much rain in just a few days is likely to cause flash flooding, washed-out roads and mudslides in the hilly terrain. Combined with any wind impacts, the rain is likely to cause travel delays through the end of the week for many areas.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard suspended trips to Visayas and Mindanao due to bad weather brought upon by Choi-wan. This left 200 passengers stranded at Matnog Port in Sorsogon, according to ABS-CBN News. At least three people have died from flooding due to the storm's heavy rainfall, the news outlet also reported.
As the weekend draws near, a front is forecast to pass through the East China Sea and Taiwan, likely absorbing Choi-wan by Saturday, local time. This will likely steer any of Choi-wan's lingering moisture away from land.
Choi-wan is only the fourth named tropical system in the West Pacific Basin so far this season, which officially began at the start of 2021. While tropical storms can form any time of the year in the West Pacific Ocean, there is typically a peak in activity from June to November.
The first two named storms in the basin this year also have already brought tropical impacts to the Philippines.
Tropical Storm Dujuan, known as Auring in the Philippines, formed in the middle of February and peaked as a severe tropical storm with 75 km/h (45 mph) winds before slamming into the central islands. Over 70,000 people were displaced during the storm.
The second storm, Surigae (also known as Bising), became even stronger, reaching violent typhoon strength in April, with wind speeds up to 220 km/h (140 mph). Surigae also set a record for the most intense typhoon on record for the month of April. Fortunately, the typhoon curved northward just east of reaching the Philippines and never made landfall in the islands. However, the glancing blow still proved deadly and caused over $5 million in damages.
AccuWeather long-range meteorologists, back in February, predicted a near-normal tropical season for the West Pacific Basin, with an estimated 25 named storms.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Hurricane
Tropical Storm Choi-wan douses Philippines with flooding rain
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Jun 3, 2021 9:56 AM EDT
The above satellite image shows Tropical Storm Choi-wan centered just east of the Philippine island of Visayas on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 1. (Photo/CIRA)
A tropical storm setting its sights on the Philippines will bring yet another dose of dangerous winds and rainfall.
During the final week in May, AccuWeather meteorologists began monitoring the West Pacific Ocean for tropical activity southeast of Guam. As the feature moved westward, it moved into an area of warm waters and less disruptive winds. On Saturday, it grew into a tropical depression before eventually becoming Tropical Storm Choi-wan on Monday. The storm is known as Dante in the Philippines.
A northwesterly track is expected from Choi-wan over the next several days, which will bring the center of the storm quite close to the eastern shores of several islands, including Samar, Catanduanes and Luzon into the end of the week.
Choi-wan made the first, of what could be several, landfalls across the Philippines when it moved over eastern Samar Tuesday evening, local time.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, local time, Choi-wan was delivering winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) and moving west-northwesterly. Those wind strengths are equivalent to that of a tropical storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic or East Pacific Ocean basins.
"With Choi-wan expected to track so close to land, it is unlikely that the tropical storm will be able to strengthen much this week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.
Still, Nicholls says it is possible that Choi-wan's sustained winds could near 100 km/h (62 mph), allowing the storm to briefly reach severe tropical storm intensity.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
On Monday night, dangerous seas were already starting to build east of Visayas and Mindanao islands. Dangerous water conditions are likely to persist for boaters in the area for much of the week.
Additionally, the tropical storm is likely to bring another dose of gusty winds and heavy rainfall to the eastern Philippines.
The strongest winds are likely on the eastern-facing coasts of the islands, where wind gusts may reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 120 km/h (75 mph). Winds of this speed would be capable of toppling trees and causing structural damage.
The more widespread threat from Choi-wan, however, is likely to be the the heavy, tropical rainfall. Downpours are forecast to reach virtually every island in the Philippines this week, but the heaviest rain is likely to stay closest to the center of the storm.
"Rainfall amounts of 75-150 mm (3-6 inches) are forecast from Samar and Leyte islands to eastern Luzon through Thursday, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 300 mm (12 inches)," Nicholls warned. This includes cities like Tacloban, Naga and Tuguegarao.
This much rain in just a few days is likely to cause flash flooding, washed-out roads and mudslides in the hilly terrain. Combined with any wind impacts, the rain is likely to cause travel delays through the end of the week for many areas.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard suspended trips to Visayas and Mindanao due to bad weather brought upon by Choi-wan. This left 200 passengers stranded at Matnog Port in Sorsogon, according to ABS-CBN News. At least three people have died from flooding due to the storm's heavy rainfall, the news outlet also reported.
As the weekend draws near, a front is forecast to pass through the East China Sea and Taiwan, likely absorbing Choi-wan by Saturday, local time. This will likely steer any of Choi-wan's lingering moisture away from land.
Choi-wan is only the fourth named tropical system in the West Pacific Basin so far this season, which officially began at the start of 2021. While tropical storms can form any time of the year in the West Pacific Ocean, there is typically a peak in activity from June to November.
Related:
The first two named storms in the basin this year also have already brought tropical impacts to the Philippines.
Tropical Storm Dujuan, known as Auring in the Philippines, formed in the middle of February and peaked as a severe tropical storm with 75 km/h (45 mph) winds before slamming into the central islands. Over 70,000 people were displaced during the storm.
The second storm, Surigae (also known as Bising), became even stronger, reaching violent typhoon strength in April, with wind speeds up to 220 km/h (140 mph). Surigae also set a record for the most intense typhoon on record for the month of April. Fortunately, the typhoon curved northward just east of reaching the Philippines and never made landfall in the islands. However, the glancing blow still proved deadly and caused over $5 million in damages.
AccuWeather long-range meteorologists, back in February, predicted a near-normal tropical season for the West Pacific Basin, with an estimated 25 named storms.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo