Philippine authorities have officially raised the disaster warning to the highest level in preparation for a new storm that could be stronger than Typhoon Yagi, which recently passed through the region.
According to Bloomberg, Tropical Storm Krathon, also known as Julian, is moving quickly towards the Philippines. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that Storm Krathon has a central pressure of 990 hPa, with maximum wind speeds of 95 km/h and gusts reaching up to 115 km/h.
Forecast for the next 24 hours indicates that Storm Krathon will move slowly in a west-northwest direction towards Taiwan. The above image shows the updated wind direction as of 4 PM on September 29. (Photo: Vietnam Disaster Monitoring System).
As of 4 AM on September 29, the center of the storm was located about 305 km east of Aparri, Cagayan in the Philippines, at coordinates 18.6 degrees north latitude and 124.5 degrees east longitude. Currently, Storm Krathon is moving at a speed of 10 km/h in a west-northwest direction. The wind strength could extend up to 450 km from the storm center, similar to the recently passed Typhoon Yagi in mid-September.
PAGASA forecasts that by the night of September 29 or early morning of September 30, Storm Krathon will intensify to typhoon strength, potentially causing buildings and trees to collapse at any moment. PAGASA has issued a heavy rain warning for areas along the path of the latest tropical storm, including the Batanes and Babuyan Islands.
PAGASA noted: “There is a high possibility that Storm Krathon will rapidly intensify and it cannot be ruled out that this storm could reach super typhoon status.”
In the next 24 hours, the Luzon region and northeastern Cagayan (Santa Ana), as well as the eastern Babuyan Islands, are expected to experience strong winds of level 8 to 9, with speeds of 62-88 km/h. By the morning of October 1, Storm Krathon is expected to move northward towards the northeast and then accelerate as it crosses the waters east of Taiwan, heading towards Okinawa, Japan, where it will weaken.
Destruction caused by the previous Typhoon Yagi.
Thus, the forecasted path of Tropical Storm Krathon is currently not directed towards the mainland of the Philippines. However, citizens should remain vigilant for the impacts of heavy rains as Storm Krathon passes through neighboring countries.
Tropical Storm Krathon is the 10th storm to pass through the Philippines this year, and it is also the 6th tropical storm to form in September, making this month the one with the highest number of storms in many years.
In addition to Storm Krathon, PAGASA has also identified another tropical storm named Jebi. As of around 3 PM on September 29, the center of Storm Jebi was located about 2,075 km east of Northern Luzon, at approximately 21.9 degrees north latitude and 114.9 degrees east longitude. PAGASA predicts that this storm will not make landfall in the Philippines but could threaten Taiwan as it intensifies into a typhoon next week.
