Weather Today – May 6, 2015 | A possible “Bagyong Dodong” on Thursday

Moving west slowly at 6 kilometers per hour, Tropical Storm Noul is still threatening to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) tomorrow, Thursday. At 4:00 AM today, it was estimated at 1,395 kilometers east of Surigao del Norte. Compared to yesterday, it has gained strength with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 130 kilometers per hour. Once it enters the PAR, it will be given the local name “Dodong”, the first tropical cyclone for May and the fourth for this year.

PAGASA Weather Forecaster Jori Loiz said that two scenarios may happen. The first shows a possible landfall over the northern tip of Northern Luzon before it recurves. In the second scenario, the tropical cyclone will not hit any part of the country and will instead recurve northward, moving away from the landmass.

Loiz added that due to the slow pace of the tropical cyclone, it may start to dump rains in the country this weekend.

As Noul moves through the waters, it could still intensify due to the abundance of moisture and heat. Since the easterlies or winds coming from the Pacific Ocean are characterized by warm and humid air, these can also contribute to Noul’s intensification. All are advised to monitor updates as Noul approaches our boundary.

Today, the ridge or the extended part of a high pressure area is the dominant weather system prevailing over Luzon. Since Noul is still too far to affect the country, the whole archipelago will experience generally fair weather aside from possible isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Sea travelers and fishing boats can safely venture out into the seaboards due to the slight to moderate sea conditions. Meanwhile, temperatures remain high–Metro Manila will experience 24 to 35 degrees Celsius while Metro Cebu can expect 25 to 32 degrees Celsius. Metro Davao has the highest range of 25 to 35 degrees Celsius.

Strong earthquake rocks Papua New Guinea

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake jolted Papua New Guinea on Tuesday. With a depth of 42 kilometers or 26.1 miles, the epicenter was located at 130 kilometers south-southwest of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), this earthquake has been preceded by a series of moderate to large quakes on this portion of the plate boundary over the past weeks.

These events began with a magnitude 7.5 on March 29, 2015, 110 kilometers to the northeast of the May 5, 2015 earthquake. Between the two powerful quakes, 25 other earthquakes of magnitude 5 and up have occurred in the same area. These include the magnitude 6.7 and magnitude 6.8 on April 30 and May 1 respectively.

The earthquake yesterday generated a small tsunami near the epicenter, which affected the power lines, and cracked walls of some establishments. However, no widespread damage was reported. The Geohpysical Observatory of Port Moresby said the tsunami did not rise beyond the normal level of high tide.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued its tsunami information: