Typhoon Noul continues to strengthen in the western Pacific

May 8, 2015 3:26 PM | Skymet Weather Team

Typhoon Noul, which is the fourth system to come up in the Western Pacific this year is gaining strength as it moves closer to Philippines. It is now a category 3 typhoon. This typhoon is likely to become a category 4 typhoon with wind speeds of around 210 kmph and move close to Philippines during this weekend.

The typhoon is likely to skirt along the northern coast of Philippines but its path is still uncertain. However, forecast suggests that the likely landfall of the typhoon will be in the northern island of Luzon around late Saturday night into Sunday. If there is a sooner north curve of the typhoon, the storm surge and wind impact on the northern island of Luzon would be less. But, then again it is to reiterate that the typhoon will still pose a threat to the northern Philippines with heavy rain and strong winds. Even if the typhoon changes its path, the rain bands would still pose a threat to the entire Philippines including the capital city of Manila.

After moving northward and passing the Philippines region, the typhoon could threaten both Taiwan and Okinawa early next week.

Western pacific hurricane equivalent storms are known as typhoons and they occur all year round with them being more severe from May to October.

image courtesy: globalnews.ca

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