The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has warned that Filipinos should prepare for stronger cyclones this year just as storm season is about to begin in the tropical country.
"In terms of (the El Niño's effect on tropical cyclones), we expect that more cyclones will reach the typhoon category, which is 118 kilometers per hour," PAGASA administrator Flaviana Hilario said, The Philippine Star reported.
The sea's rising temperatures, due to El Niño, could trigger stronger cyclones and "cause the behavior of the tropical cyclones to become erratic," the report added. The local weather bureau predicted that at least 11 to 16 cyclones will hit the Philippines between June to December this year.
PAGASA announced last May that it has revised its storm warning system to include Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS) No. 5 in the classification due to the increasing intensity of cyclones affecting the country, according to CNN Philippines. The agency used to only consider Signal No. 3 as the strongest, but with the revised system, the classifications now stand according to the following:
- Tropical Depression (TD): up to 61 kph
- Tropical Storm (TS): 62 to 88 kph
- Severe Tropical Storm (STS): 89 to 117 kph
- Typhoon (TY): 118 to 220 kph
- Super Typhoon (STY): exceeding 220 kph
The Philippines is still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Typhoon Yolanda, the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the world, according to UNHCR. In the wake of the Category 5 typhoon's devastation in November 2013, 6,300 died and 20,000 thousand more are still in the midst of rebuilding their homes and their lives.
