The country’s weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration confirmed that this year’s strongest typhoon so far, Bagyong Hanna (international name: Soudelor) entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Wednesday morning but spare the entire archipelago from landfall.
PAGASA placed the maximum sustained winds of supertyphoon Hanna (Bagyong Hanna) at least 220 kilometers per hour, but the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) in Honolulu said the storm was packing gusts up to 354 kph.
Bagyong Hanna which is considered by PAGASA as the eighth cyclone to visit the Philippines this year, would trigger heavy monsoon rains over most of Luzon and the Visayas over the weekend.
PAGASA reported on Tuesday that the cyclone already bore maximums sustained winds of 215 kph and gusts up to 250 kph and will like intensify further as it barrels across the Pacific Ocean.
JTWC earlier reported that supertyphoon Hanna (Soudelor) was roaring across the western Pacific Ocean packing wind gusts up to 354 kph and rated the cyclone a maximum Category 5. The typhoon was expected to be down to Category 4 or 3 by the time it hit southern Japan, Taiwan and China from late Thursday.
Latest Satellite Image of Bagyong Hanna:
