Philippines: Typhoon Yutu makes landfall in Luzon region October 30 /update 2

Event

Typhoon Yutu (locally known as Rosita), a category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall in Isabela province (Luzon region) on Tuesday, October 30, at around 04:00 (local time). The typhoon has now weakened and is expected to leave the Philippines on Wednesday. Moderate to heavy rains are expected to continue until then, along with landslides, flooding, high winds, transportation disruptions (including flight delays and cancelations), and power outages.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) maintains tropical cyclone warning signal 3 (the third-highest level on a five-tier scale) as of October 30 for the Luzon provinces of Pangasinan and La Union, as well as for the provinces of Visayas and Mindanao. Lower warnings are still in effect for much of the rest of Luzon. No damage to critical infrastructure has been reported thus far.

Context

Typhoon Yutu already caused damage in Guam and the Mariana Islands, including airport closures. Tropical cyclones and typhoons are common in the Western Pacific from May through November.

Advice

Individuals present in the abovementioned locations are advised to monitor local weather reports, anticipate transportation and power disruptions, reconfirm flights, obey instructions issued by the local authorities (e.g. evacuation orders), and avoid flood-prone areas until the situation stabilizes. Remember that driving or walking through running water can be dangerous - 15 cm (6 in) of running water is enough to knock over an adult.