Typhoon 'Juan' leaves Luzon
ABS-CBN - Tuesday, October 19
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – Super typhoon Juan (international name, Megi) has left land and was already off the coast of La Union, weather bureau PAGASA said during its last briefing on Monday.
The typhoon’s eye was located around 80 kilometers west-northwest of Baguio City and moving toward the South China Sea, according to PAGASA’s 11:00 p.m. advisory.
The weather disturbance, the strongest typhoon in the world this year so far, was still packing maximum winds of 160 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 195 kph.
It was moving west-northwest at 20 kph and was expected to be 440 km from Tuguegarao City on Tuesday night.
Public storm signal number 3 remained hoisted over Benguet, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Pangasinan.
Signal Number 2 remained over Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quirino, and Zambales.
Metro Manila, Batangas, Laguna, Bataan, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Batanes, the Babuyan group of islands, the Calayan group, northern Quezon, Polilio Island, and Lubang Island were still under signal number 1.
PAGASA reiterated its warning for residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas placed under public storm warning signals to be alert against possible flashfloods and landslides.
Residents in coastal areas were also warned of possible storm surges.
“The public and the disaster coordinating councils concerned are advised to take appropriate actions, monitor the hourly updates and watch for the next bulletin to be issued at 5:00 a.m. (Tuesday),” the weather bureau said.
Super typhoon Juan (Megi) will regain strength in the next few days as it makes its way toward China, weather forecasters said. (US Navy and Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center image)
Barrelling toward China
Tracking models used by PAGASA and foreign weather and climate agencies predict the typhoon to have a west-northwest route and head for the China before hitting land anew southwest of Hong Kong.
The typhoon is expected to regain strength as it makes its way across the South China Sea and make landfall over China in the next several days, weather forecasters said.
“Though stripped of its super typhoon status while transiting the high peaks of the Sierra Madre…Megi remains a formidable tropical cyclone,” the US Navy and Air Force’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center’s (JTWC) website said.
“The deepest central convection [typhoon’s eye] has weakened and became fragmented due to continued land interaction. However, Megi is positioned to enter… favorable waters within the next few hours and re-intensify,” the JTWC added.
The JTWC expects Juan to pick up strength anew in the next 2 days, with maximum winds reaching 115 knots or 213 kph, and gusts of 140 knots or 260 kph.
“Once Megi moves into the South China Sea within the next few hours, an adequate intensity estimate can be determined with the Dvorak Method,” the typhoon monitoring center said.
“The system will likely ramp up quickly under the influence of high sea surface temperatures, strong vorticity, low vertical wind shear, and a poleward outflow mechanism.”
Subject: Typhoon "JUAN" 
Sat Oct 16, 2010 1:13 pm
