Typhoon Yutu pouncing on Philippines, set to make U-turn toward Taiwan

颱風玉兔在菲律賓上空猛烈襲擊台灣

Typhoon Yutu (Jade Rabbit) pounding the northern Philippines, set to make U-turn toward Taiwan, before petering out


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Typhoon Yutu made landfall in the northern Philippine island of Luzon today, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to the region before reaching the South China Sea, where it will curve its pathway, head towards Taiwan, and combine with a northeastern monsoon to bring wind and rain to the country starting on Halloween.

As of 2 a.m. this morning, Typhoon Yutu had a radius of 250 kilometers and was located 650 kilometers southeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip of Eluanbi, moving west at 18 kilometers per hour (kph), packing maximum sustained winds of 136 kph and gusts of 172 kph, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

In the Philippines, Typhoon Yutu (Rosita in the Philippines) made landfall in Dinapigue, Isabela on the island of Luzon at 4 a.m. this morning, reported Inquirer.net. The northern Philippines is bracing for heavy rains, floods, storm surges and landslides as Yutu strikes.

A signal 3 has been issued by Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) over 10 areas, including Isabela, Quirino, Northern Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province and Pangasinan.

A signal 2 has been posted for Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Northern Quezon, Polillo Island, Southern Aurora, Zambales, Pampanga and Bulacan.

A signal 1 has been announced for Metro Manila, the Babuyan islands, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Bataan and Cavite.

In the Philippines, a signal 1 is issued for areas were where winds of 30 to 60 kilometers per hour (kph) can be expected within 24 hours, a signal 2 indicates winds of 60 to 100 kph, and a signal 3 warns of winds ranging between 100 to 185 kph. About half of the Philippines' population of 105 million live on the island of Luzon.

The latest model of Yutu's path by the CWB shows that Taiwan's Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu islands have a 10 to 20 percent chance of being impacted directly by Yutu within the next 120 hours. Meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that if Yutu weakens too slowly, the possibility of the typhoon striking Taiwan's outer islands cannot be ruled out.

As for the weather in Taiwan today, CWB forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said conditions will be relatively stable in the first half of the day, but as the periphery of Typhoon Yutu begins to enter the South China Sea and combine with a northeastern monsoon, precipitation in northern and eastern Taiwan will gradually increase, with rainfall ranging from brief showers to heavy rain. As for temperatures today, northern and central Taiwan will see a low near 16 degrees Celsius, and the highs will range between 25 to 28 degrees, while central and southern Taiwan will see them rise to a balmy 31 degrees.

From Halloween through Friday (Oct. 31 to Nov. 2), Yutu will churn in the South China Sea and combine with a northeastern monsoon to created a "concomitant effect." This is expected to bring cold and wet weather to northern and eastern Taiwan during that period, while southern and central Taiwan will see party cloudy skies and cooler temperatures caused by local showers.

The rainfall caused by the "concomitant effect" will not only be affected by the location and intensity of Yutu, but will also be determined by the process of medium to small scale lifting, as they undergo changes throughout this period. Therefore, Wu said that more observations will be needed gather enough data to predict Yutu's ultimate fate.


CWB map of Typhoon Yutu's predicted path.


JTWC map of Typhoon Yutu's predicted path.


Japan Meteorological Agency map of Typhoon Yutu's predicted path over next 5 days.


Tropical Storm Risk map of Typhoon Yutu's projected path.


Models of six different weather agencies. (Map from typhoon2000)

Animated Windy.com map showing Typhoon Yutu's projected path over coming week.




NOAA satellite image of Typhoon Yutu over the Philippines.


NOAA animated GIF of Western Pacific.


NOAA animated GIF of Typhoon Yutu over Philippines.