Super Typhoon Bavi strengthens further outside PAR

MANILA, Philippines – Super Typhoon Bavi continued to strengthen outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday, July 4, with its maximum sustained winds already at 205 kilometers per hour (km/h).

The super typhoon’s gustiness is up to 250 km/h, added the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

As of 8 pm on Saturday, Bavi was located 2,790 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, moving west toward PAR at just 10 km/h.

On Saturday afternoon, PAGASA Weather Specialist Daniel James Villamil said Bavi is still expected to enter PAR by Wednesday, July 8. Once inside, it will be given the local name Inday.

Villamil also said tropical cyclone wind signals might be raised for portions of Northern Luzon immediately after Bavi’s entry. Wind signals are raised ahead of time to give affected areas time to prepare.

According to Villamil, the highest tropical cyclone wind signals due to Bavi may be Signal Nos. 2 or 3, but PAGASA is not ruling out the possibility of raising Signal No. 4 in Batanes. Signal No. 4 means winds ranging from 118 to 184 km/h that may cause “significant to severe threat to life and property.”

So far, Bavi is “less likely” to make landfall in the Philippines, but it could go near extreme Northern Luzon or the Batanes area. The super typhoon might head for Taiwan, which is above Batanes but within PAR.

Forecasts can still change, given Bavi’s distance from PAR and from the country itself. It is crucial to monitor updates.

Bavi is also seen to enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat, which may bring widespread rainfall to the western portion of the country, including Metro Manila, in the second half of the coming week.

No two tropical cyclones are alike, but Bavi’s possible track and enhancement of the southwest monsoon could be similar to that of Super Typhoon Carina (Gaemi) in July 2024. Carina made landfall in Taiwan, not in the Philippines, but it still affected parts of Northern Luzon and enhanced the southwest monsoon. During that time, the southwest monsoon caused massive floods in parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila. – Rappler.com