Vamco kills 7 as typhoon-weary communities mop up in northern Philippines | VIDEO

Typhoon Vamco, which killed some 67 people when it stormed through the middle of Luzon island late last week, has turned into a tropical storm which will have minor effects on Thailand’s weather over the next few days. Isolated light to moderate rains will be likely over the Northeast and the North today as a result… Vamco will track on through northern Laos.

Category 2 tropical depression has been declined as the active low pressure over Pakxan, Laos. It is forecast to be dispersed upward. There remains isolated light to moderate rains likely over the Northeast and the North in the following next day. Farmers should prevent for crop damage.

Typhoon Vamco made landfall over Dong Hoi, central Vietnam yesterday, already weakened after its trip westwards across the South China Sea, becoming a tropical storm. The storm is forecast to continue to dissipate as the eye crosses Laos and may track north, completely missing Thailand.

Typhoon Goni swept across The Philippines just 10 days before Vamco cut its way through many of the same communities, bringing storm surges and destruction through low-lying mid-Luzon communities. Evacuations have dislodged over 500,000 people during the past 2 typhoons.

Watch a video of Vamco as it cut through The Philippines HERE.

SOURCES: AccuWeather | TMD

The Thai Meteorological Department has incorrectly forecast the tracking of the tropical storm ‘Vamco’, instead warning Thais to “brace for the impact of Typhoon Vamco over the weekend”, according to Bangkok Post.

But the track of the storm is not even forecast to reach the far north of Thailand until late Monday or Tuesday, although there could be some rain and higher-than-usual winds in some locations. Indeed, the reliable forecast for many of the north eastern and northern Thai provinces for the forecast period is for mostly sunny conditions, according to AccuWeather (below).

As of yesterday, the Typhoon Vamco had killed at least 42 people in The Philippines, as residents returned to devastated homes following the worst flooding in years around Manila and nearby provinces. The typhoon cut a path similar to another typhoon just 10 days before, through the middle of the northern Luzon island.

Tracking Vamco – AccuWeather

Weather.com – Khon Kaen

Weather.com – Chiang Mai

The Thai Meteorological Department noted that the eye of the storm yesterday was in the South China Sea, about 500 kilometres east of Da Nang in Vietnam and is expected to make landfall early morning Sunday. But the tropical depression will lose a lot of its impact once it crosses the Vietnamese coastline and tracks north westwards through Vietnam and Laos.

“It is expected to make landfall over Vietnam by 15 November 2020 and then downgrade, respectively. Isolated light to moderate rain is likely over the Northeast and the North, during 15-16 November 2020.”

Meanwhile, heavy rain and have featured in the central south, including Koh Samui and Chumpon, flooding many areas. Areas in all eight districts of Chumpon province have been effected. Parts of the Asia Highway, running north-south, have been under water.

SOURCES: AccuWeather |weather.com | Bangkok Post | TMD

Typhoon Goni blasted its way across the northern island of Luzon, tracking just south of the capital Manila. It made landfall around 5am in the morning and by the end of the day it had crossed, heading westwards, and reached the South China Sea, having killed at least 22 and displacing more than 800,000 people. The latest death toll was reported by Associate Press.

Weakened after cutting across the middle of The Philippines’ northern-most island, the storm is expected to build again as it approaches the coastline of Vietnam in the middle of this week.

The strength of the storm, the most violent storm in the world this year, even triggered volcanic mudflows engulfing hundreds of houses. As the storm approached on Saturday The Philippine weather agency warned that within 12 hours after the typhoon’s landfall, people could face “catastrophic, violent winds and intense to torrential rainfall.”

Typhoon Goni made landfall at the Catanduanes islands at dawn with sustained winds of 225 kilometres per hour with gusts as high as 280 kilometres per hour. Much of the regions affected by the typhoon were just starting to recover after typhoon Molave passed over The Philippines just a week before.

At least 9 people were killed in the hardest-hit province of Albay, including a father and son. About 150 houses were inundated by volcanic mudflows.

Residents laying in the path of the typhoon were warned of possible landslides, massive flooding, storm surges of up to 5 metres and powerful winds that could blow away much of the poorly built infrastructure in poorer areas of the country. But after hitting a mountain range, the typhoon gradually weakened, although it remained potentially deadly as it blew out into the South China Sea.

One of the most powerful typhoons in the world this year, Goni was being compared to Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines in November 2013. But Filipino authorities say they were much better prepared this time.

Manila’s main airport was ordered shut down for 24 hours but re-opened this morning, and airlines cancelled dozens of international and domestic flights. Commuter train services were also suspended and a no-sail policy restriction was imposed by the coast guard. The military and national police, along with the coast guard, were put on full alert.