Tropical Storm crossing northern Luzon

Good morning from the Western Pacific Weather team.

On this Friday, we have a tropical storm on our hands in northern Luzon as the system is crossing over the region. Tropical Storm Khanun (Odette) is bringing strong gusts of up to 100 kph along with rainfall rates exceeding 15 millimeters per hour. A Signal 2 warning is in effect for the far northern islands with possible gusts expected to hit up to 120 kilometers per hour along with persistent, battering rains.

We’re expecting this system to continue bringing stormy conditions throughout Friday and into a part of Saturday before it moves out into the open waters. Those north of Baguio City will have to brace through the storm for the next 48 hours.

Once Khanun heads out into sea, its next focus will be on the island of Hainan and the southern China coastline. The system is expected to intensify into a strong typhoon by late Sunday into Monday, bringing a significant threat to the coast with a high storm surge, powerful winds, and flooding rainfall. Northern Vietnam, which has just endured through a tropical depression earlier in the week, will once again contend with a tropical system, and it is likely that the storm will be more powerful this time around.

Jonathan Oh
Meteorologist, Western Pacific Weather