The Super Typhoon Surigae rose in intensity from a Category 1 storm on Friday to a Category 5 monster on Saturday, with sustained maximum winds estimated at 180 mph with higher gusts.
Why it’s important: This storm, known as Typhoon Bising in the Philippines, is just the latest of many tropical cyclones to experience a process known as rapid intensification, a feat that studies show is becoming more frequent due to climate change.
- The storm appears destined going back out to sea in the northeastern Philippines, saving the country prone to disasters from its worst impacts, but it will bring heavy rains, high seas and gusty winds to some areas.
- It can also help shake Very downstream weather patterns, including all of North America, over the coming weeks.
Details: The storm peaked at the top of the scale according to the techniques meteorologists use to estimate the intensity of the storm through the satellites, achieving an 8 out of 8 on a particular metric, which is unusual.
- Note: Because planes don’t fly into Western Pacific typhoons like they do in the Atlantic, we may never know the strength of the Super Typhoon Surigae and the 180 mph intensity may be an understatement.
By numbers: The storm is the first Category 5 tropical cyclone (a category that includes hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones) to occur in 2021. Typically, approximately 18 Category 4 and 5 storms occur each year worldwide.
- The storm jumped from a Category 1 90 mph storm on Friday to a Category 5 180 mph super typhoon 24 hours later, a staggering intensification rate that exceeds twice the rapid intensification criteria.
Promoting this news: The number of high-end tropical cyclones increases as the world continues to warm.
- Projections show that future hurricane seasons in the Atlantic, for example, could bring a higher proportion of Category 4 and 5 storms, although it is not yet clear whether the total number of storms will increase.
- There is evidence, including record data from the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, that more storms in the North Atlantic Ocean basin are experiencing rapid intensification, which can be extremely dangerous if the intensity increases near land.
- Super typhoons like the Surigae feed on warm ocean waters and humid air masses, both of which are becoming more abundant as sea and air temperatures warm in response to the ‘global warming caused by humans.
The summary: The Super Typhoon Surigae will pass through the eastern Philippines on Sunday and will be close enough to cause dangerous flooding, heavy rain and windy winds in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country, including the eastern Visayas.