Rain or shine, Christmas is here

Will it rain or shine on Christmas Day?

After announcing the other day that good weather is expected in the country in the next five days, the weather bureau, like a typhoon, changed course yesterday.

Nathaniel Cruz, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather branch chief, said yesterday the latest forecast shows there will be a typhoon this week after all.

Pagasa will issue a special weather outlook for the Christmas holidays on Friday, he added, saying they could only provide a five-day weather forecast.

Earlier, Pagasa said another tropical storm is expected to hit the country this month, based on statistics.

So far, 13 tropical storms have entered the country in 2007, lower than last year’s 20.

A tropical storm is classified according to strength and is determined by the speed of the maximum sustained winds near the center.

It is an organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 64 to 117 kilometers per hour (kph).

A tropical depression is an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 35 to 63 kph.

The tropical depression has no eye and does not typically have the organization or the spiral shape of more powerful storms.

A typhoon has maximum sustained winds of more than 117 kph. It tends to develop an eye, an area of relative calm at the center of circulation.

It becomes a super typhoon if it reaches maximum sustained winds of 215 and above kph.   – Helen Flores