Bushman's Typhoon Blog: TS FUNG-WONG (IGME)

Typhoon2000 STORM UPDATE #003

Name: TROPICAL STORM FUNG-WONG [IGME/09W/0808]

Issued: 7:00 AM MANILA TIME (23:00 GMT) SAT 26 JULY 2008
Source: JTWC TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING NUMBER 006
Note: Kindly refer to your country's official warnings or bulletins. This update is for additional information purposes only.

_____________________________________________________________________________

TROPICAL STORM FUNG-WONG (IGME) RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED...ACCELERATING

WESTWARD TOWARDS BATANES-TAIWAN AREA...OUTER RAIN BANDS TO REACH

EXTREME NORTHERN LUZON TOMORROW.

+ FORECAST OUTLOOK: FUNG-WONG is expected to continue moving Westward for

the next 24 hours and shall become a Typhoon tomorrow morning. The 2 to

5-day long-range forecast shows the system turning WNW to NW-ward, rea-

ching Category 2 early monday morning (160 km/hr) while passing to the

North of Batanes Group. FUNG-WONG shall make landfall over Eastern Taiwan,

near Hualien City Monday afternoon & shall cross Central Taiwan in the

evening. It shall move out into Taiwan Strait on early Tuesday morning,

July 29, as a weakened Tropical Storm. It shall make its final landfall

off Southeastern China Tuesday afternoon and cross the rugged terrain of

Fujian-Zhejiang Province thru Wednesday (July 30). Complete dissipation

is forecast over Zhejiang Province, China on early Thursday morning,

July 31. *Alternate Forecast Scenario: There is a possibilty that FUNG-

WONG may continue tracking Westward and cross the Batanes Group of

Islands or make landfall over Southern Taiwan, if the High Pressure

Steering Ridge to its north strengthens.

+ EFFECTS: FUNG-WONG's strong spiral circulation continues to swirl &

improve over the Northern Philippine Sea. This storm is not yet affec-

ting any land mass, but its western outer bands may start to spread

across Extreme Northern Luzon beginning tonight or tomorrow.

+ CURRENT MONSOON INTENSITY: The Southwest (SW) Monsoon is now being

enhance by TS FUNG-WONG (IGME) and has started to affect the whole of

Visayas and Southern Bicol Region. The monsoon is likely to reach the

rest of Bicol, Southern Luzon, Mindoro & Metro Manila late tonight or

tomorrow. Partly Cloudy to Cloudy skies with possible light to mode-

rate passing rains w/ at times heavy downpour & SW'ly winds not excee-

ding 40 km/hr can be expected. Landslides, mudflows (lahars) and floo-

ding is likely to occur along steep mountain/volcano slopes, river

banks, low-lying & flood-prone areas of the affected areas. Strong
ITCZ (aka. Monsoon Trough) affecting the rest of the Philippines
bringing scattered rains and thunderstorms - most especially in
the afternoon or evening.

Important Note: Please keep in mind that the above forecast outlook,
effects & current monsoon intensity, and tropical cyclone watch changes
every 06 to 12 hours!
_____________________________________________________________________________

TIME/DATE: 5:00 AM MANILA TIME (21:00 GMT) 26 JULY
LOCATION OF CENTER: LATITUDE 21.6º N...LONGITUDE 128.2º E
DISTANCE 1: 545 KM (295 NM) SOUTH OF OKINAWA, JAPAN

DISTANCE 2: 655 KM (355 NM) ENE OF BASCO, BATANES, PH

DISTANCE 3: 765 KM (415 NM) NE OF APARRI, CAGAYAN, PH

DISTANCE 4: 775 KM (418 NM) SE OF TAIPEI, TAIWAN

MAX WINDS [1-MIN AVG]: 95 KM/HR (50 KTS) NEAR THE CENTER
PEAK WIND GUSTS: 120 KM/HR (65 KTS)
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE: N/A
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE (est.): 985 MILLIBARS (hPa)
RECENT MOVEMENT: WEST @ 19 KM/HR (10 KTS)
GENERAL DIRECTION: BATANES-TAIWAN AREA
STORM'S SIZE (IN DIAMETER): 630 KM (340 NM)/AVERAGE
MAX WAVE HEIGHT**: 14 FEET (4.2 METERS)
VIEW TRACKING MAP: 2 AM MANILA TIME SAT JULY 26
TSR WIND PROBABILITIES: CURRENT TO 120 HRS LEAD

PHILIPPINE STORM SIGNALS*:
#01 - BATANES GROUP OF ISLANDS.

12, 24, 48 & 72 HR. FORECAST:
2 PM (06 GMT) 26 JULY: 21.5N 126.9E / 110-140 KPH / W @ 13 KPH

2 AM (18 GMT) 27 JULY: 21.6N 125.5E / 130-160 KPH / WNW @ 11 KPH

2 AM (18 GMT) 28 JULY: 22.7N 122.9E / 160-195 KPH / NW @ 15 KPH
2 AM (18 GMT) 29 JULY: 25.1N 120.4E / 110-140 KPH / NW @ 09 KPH

REMARKS: 2 AM (18 GMT) 26 JULY POSITION: 21.7N 128.6E.
^TROPICAL STORM (TS) 09W IS TRACKING WESTWARD AT 09 KNOTS AND
HAS SLOWLY INTENSIFIED OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS. THE SYSTEM IS EMBED-
DED WITHIN A BROAD MONSOON DEPRESSION WITH STRONGER WINDS ALONG THE
SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE STORM. DEEP CONVECTION REMAINS EVIDENT IN
RECENT ANIMATED METSAT IMAGERY WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE CONVECTIVE
BANDING ISOLATED TO THE SOUTHERN SEMI-CIRCLE OF THE STORM.
B. TS 09W IS TRACKING UNDER THE STEERING INFLUENCE OF THE LOW- TO
MID-LEVEL SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED NORTH OF THE SYSTEM.
RECENT MID- AND UPPER- SOUNDINGS FROM THE OKINAWA AREA INDICATE
EASTERLY FLOW AND SUPPORT THE WESTWARD TRACK. AS EXPECTED, THE
BREAK IN THE STR ASSOCIATED WITH A MIDLATITUDE SHORTWAVE TROUGH
PREVIOUSLY LOCATED EAST OF SHANGHAI, CHINA HAS SHIFTED SLIGHTLY
NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE YELLOW SEA. ANIMATED WATER VAPOR IMAGERY
SHOWS GOOD EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW WHICH IS BEING ENHANCED BY A WEST-
WARD PROPAGATING TUTT CELL TO THE EAST. THE CURRENT POSITION IS
BASED ON RECENT ANIMATED INFRARED IMAGERY AND A 251016Z SSMI 37H
IMAGE, AND IS CONSISTENT WITH RECENT POSITION FIXES FROM PGTW AND
RJTD. CURRENT INTENSITY IS BASED UPON DVORAK INTENSITY ESTIMATES
OF 35 TO 45 KNOTS FROM PGTW, KNES AND RJTD AS WELL AS A 250935Z
QSCAT PASS DEPICTING UNFLAGGED 35 TO 40 WINDS AT THE CENTER OF THE
WELL DEFINED LLCC...(more)

>> FUNG-WONG {pronounced: fang~wang}, meaning: Phoenix (Name of Peak).
Name contributed by: Hong Kong, China.
_____________________________________________________________________________

PAGASA CURRENT POSITION, MOVEMENT AND INTENSITY (10-min. ave.):

> 4 AM (20 GMT) 26 JULY: 21.9N 128.6E / W @ 15 KPH / 95 kph

:: For the complete PAGASA bulletin, kindly visit their website at:
http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/wb/tcupdate.shtml
_____________________________________________________________________________

RECENT WUNDERGROUND.COM TRACKING CHART:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

RECENT MTSAT-1R SATELLITE IMAGE:

> Image source: Digital-Typhoon.Org (http://www.digital-typhoon.org/)
__________________________________________________________________________________________

NOTES:

^ - JTWC commentary remarks (for Meteorologists) from their
latest warning.

* - Based on PAGASA's Philippine Storm Warning Signals,
      # 4 being the highest. Red letters indicate new areas
      being hoisted. For more explanations on these signals,
      visit: http://www.typhoon2000.ph/signals.htm

** - Based on the Tropical Cyclone's Wave Height near
      its center.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

>> To know the meteorological terminologies and acronyms
   used on this update visit the ff:

    http://typhoon2000.ph/tcterm.htm
    http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutgloss.shtml
    http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/severewx/glossary.php
    http://www.srh.weather.gov/fwd/glossarynation.html
    http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/acronyms.shtml
__________________________________________________________________________________________

:: Typhoon2000.com (T2K) Mobile >> Powered by: Synermaxx
Receive the latest 6-hrly storm updates on TS IGME directly to your mobile phones! To get:
Send T2K TYPHOON to: 2800 (GLOBE & TM) | 216 (SMART & TNT) | 2288 (SUN)
Note: Globe & Smart charges P2.50 per message, while Sun at P2.00.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

For the complete details on TS FUNG-WONG (IGME)...go visit
our website @:

> http://www.typhoon2000.com
> http://www.maybagyo.com

> http://www.typhoon2000.ph

:: Kindly view our site's disclaimer at:
http://www.typhoon2000.ph/disclaimer.htm