Fifth storm in a month bears down on the Philippines

Fifth storm in a month bears down on the Philippines

Sub: Geo

Sec: Climatology

Context:

• The Philippines is preparing to evacuate tens of thousands of people as Tropical Storm Usagi approaches the country, expected to impact the northern island of Luzon in two days.
• Recent storms in Philippines include Typhoon Toraji, Severe Tropical Storm Trami, Typhoon Yinxing, and Super Typhoon Kong-rey.
• Flooding in the Cagayan River, the largest river in the Philippines, has slowed down evacuations.

Tropical Cyclones:

• Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas bringing about large-scale destruction due to violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surge.
• They are irregular wind movements involving closed circulation of air around a low-pressure centre. This closed air circulation is a result of rapid upward movement of hot air which is subjected to Coriolis force.
• A characteristic feature of tropical cyclones is the eye, a central region of clear skies, warm temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.

Conditions favourable for Tropical Cyclone formation:

• Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27°C.
• Presence of the Coriolis force enough to create a cyclonic vortex.
• Small variations in the vertical wind speed.
• A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation.
• Upper divergence above the sea level system.

Name of Tropical cyclones in different regions:

• Atlantic: Hurricanes
• Western Pacific and South China Sea: Typhoons
• Western Australia: Willy-Willies
• Indian Ocean: Cyclones

Tropical vs Temperate cyclone:

Luzon Island:

• Luzon is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines, located in the northern part of the country. It serves as the economic, political, and cultural hub of the nation.
• Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is located on Luzon.
• To the north, the Luzon Strait separates Luzon from the Taiwan