Hard hit: A San Miguel resident walking down a flooded road brought on by Typhoon Noru. — AP
Super Typhoon Noru devastated parts of Luzon where tropical cyclone Wind Signal No. 5 was raised last week, but the country may see stronger typhoons in the future due to climate change, said civil engineer and wind dynamics expert Joshua C. Agar.
Agar, an engineering faculty member at the University of the Philippines – Diliman, said on Friday that climate change “increases the moisture on which typhoons feed upon”.
He pointed out that there has been an increase of wind strength in typhoons since 2011, with Noru following the growing trend.
“Expect typhoons that are small in size but with super destructive winds near the eye,” he said.
Agar noted this increase when he analysed and mapped the past typhoons and rapid intensifications in the country.
The map, based on data from 1977 to 2021 from the Japan Meteorological Agency, showed that 322 out of 1,148 typhoons had rapid intensification.
Agar’s map, however, only accounts for a higher threshold of rapid intensifications, since it is based on statistical analysis that identified unusually strong typhoons that reached 92.6kph within 24 hours.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, rapid intensification is declared when maximum sustained winds increase by more than 65kph within 24 hours.
While rapid intensifications of typhoons are not new in the Philippines, Agar noted that the winds are getting stronger.
He pointed out that government agencies should learn to strengthen and retrofit evacuation centres in preparation of the intensifying typhoons. — Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
