Nalgae unleashes deadly flooding, landslides in Philippines
Tropical Storm Nalgae, churning across the Philippines Sea, unleashed deadly flooding and landslides in the Philippines from Thursday night through Saturday, and AccuWeather meteorologists say more heavy rain is ahead for the country and other parts of Southeast Asia as the storm continues to move west.
The tropical storm, officially named Nalgae by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the tropical authority for the basin, formed on Thursday, and was located about 105 miles southeast of Manila, as of Saturday afternoon, local time. This storm is known as Paeng in the Philippines.
AccuWeather forecasters say the storm will maintain its tropical storm status as it treks west-northwest over the next few days, impacting the Philippines this weekend, and eventually Taiwan and southeastern China next week.
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From Thursday night into Friday, rainfall in association with Nalgae unleashed flash flooding and triggered landslides in the southern Philippines. At least 47 people were killed, according to The Associated Press. The worst of the flooding was in towns around Cotabato, a city on Mindanao island.
Of the dead, 27 were from the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat, 10 from Datu Blah Sinsuat, and five from Upi. Five more deaths attributed to Tropical Storm Nalgae were recorded across various locations.
While located far from the center of Nalgae, a robust flow of moisture across the Southern part of the archipelago and into the tropical storm led to the torrential rainfall.
The tropical cyclone is set to deliver more heavy rain and strong winds farther north to the same area that experienced severe flooding earlier in the month. Severe Tropical Storm Nesat brought 4-8 inches (100-200 mm) of rain to northern Luzon in just 24 hours over the weekend of Oct. 15, leading to dramatic water rescues and the evacuation of hundreds of people.
Nearly 5,000 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas ahead of Nalgae, civil defense officials told AFP.
The heaviest of the rain impacted eastern Visayas Friday night and the Bicol region on Saturday. After that, it is expected to make a close approach to the northeastern part of Luzon on Sunday, as a strong tropical storm.
"The amount of rain and wind will depend on the exact track and the storm's proximity to land," said AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.
The heavy rain along and near the path of the emerging tropical threat could lead to fresh flash flooding, river flooding and mudslides. Storm surge flooding along coastlines is also a concern when the center of the cyclone passes by.
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The tropical storm can be seen near the Philippines on Saturday afternoon, local time. (AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite) |
Strong winds could lead to structural damage and blow around loose objects.
The cyclone is expected to turn north and then perhaps northwest after it impacts the Philippines and emerges into the South China Sea. This could lead to potential impacts in Taiwan and southern China into next week.
Taiwan was also severely impacted by Nesat over the weekend of Oct. 15. Over 70 inches of rain (1,778 mm) fell over 72 hours in the Shilin District of Tapei City, with many other higher-elevation parts of the island measuring 28-40 inches (700 to 1,000 mm) of rain.
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