*Typhoon Alert*

Typhoon Chan-hom Smashes Into the Philippines - 8th May 2008 1600z

Typhoon Chan-hom slammed into the northwest of the Philippines yesterday killing at least 25 people according to local officials.

The AFP reports:

Among the worst-hit areas was the mountain town of Kiangan and nearby areas that were devastated by landslides, and the cape of Bolinao on the South China Sea coast that bore the full force of its landfall late Thursday.

"Bolinao -- well frankly speaking it's devastated," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters in Manila after a helicopter overflight of the coastal region swamped with floods and littered with downed pylons.

Chan-hom killed 12 people in Bolinao and nearby towns, where strong winds knocked down houses, trees and electric posts, he added.

In the Cordillera mountain region northeast of Bolinao, a total of 12 villagers in four areas were crushed to death by large boulders that rolled down slopes in Kiangan and two other nearby towns on Thursday night, Olive Luces of the local civil defence office told AFP here.

The typhoon made landfall with sustained winds of over 85 miles per hour and brought torrential rains and high winds to the capital Manila and most of Luzon in the north of the Philippines.

Typhoon Chan-hom, which is a type of tree in the Lao language, was the second typhoon to form this year. Last week typhoon Kujira formed off the east coast of the Philippines and was responsible for at least 25 deaths.

Be sure to check back here for more updates as this situation develops....

*Typhoon Alert*

Typhoon Chan-hom on Crash Course with The Philippines - 7th May 2008 0400z

Typhoon Chan-hom was upgraded last night from a severe tropical storm and is on a crash course with the northwest region of the Philippines. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) Chan-hom has sustained winds of 86 miles per hour with higher gusts up to 120 miles per hour.

Current forecasts suggest the storm will make landfall on the Philippines near the town of Bolinao on the coast of Lingayen Bay within the next 20 hours. The outer bands of the typhoon are already sweeping the region bringing strong winds and torrential rains.

This storm comes on the heels of typhoon Kujira which formed off the east coast of the Philippines last week and reportedly killed 27 people in the province of Sorsogon.

Check back here for more updates on this developing situation....

The Pacific Awakes! Typhoon Kujira and Tropical Storm Chan-hom Kick Start the 2009 Typhoon Season - 4th May 2009 1100z

The 2009 typhoon season has roared into life with the formation of two simultaneous tropical storms, one off the east coast of the Philippines and the other off the southeast coast of Vietnam.

Tropical storm Chan-hom has slowly intensified off the coast of Vietnam and according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) now has sustained winds of 50 miles per hour with gusts up to 75 miles per hour.

The storm is expected to drift toward the Philippines over the next three days and intensify into a typhoon. Authorities and residents of the northwest Philippines need to closely monitor the progression of Chan-hom since it looks very likely to strike the country later this week.

Below is the latest data and satellite imagery from JMA and JTWC:

The Pacific Awakes! Severe Tropical Storm Kujira and Tropical Storm Chan-hom Kick Start the 2009 Typhoon Season - 3rd May 2009 1600z

The 2009 typhoon season has roared into life with the formation of two simultaneous tropical storms, one off the east coast of the Philippines and the other off the southeast coast of Vietnam.

Severe tropical storm Kujira is the first named tropical cyclone of the year and according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) now has sustained winds of 50kts with gusts up to 70kts.

The centre of the storm is located about 110 miles northeast of Virac in the Philippines and is forecast to move further away from the country over the next 3 days. The Philippines government has dropped the storm signal 2 over the Catanduanes region of Luzon to signal 1.

Kujira is expected to intensify into a strong typhoon as it moves away from the Philippines over the warm tropical Pacific. Below is the latest data and satellite imagery from JMA and JTWC: