Typhoon Hagupit Is Crossing the Central Philippines

Typhoon Hagupit made a landfall near Dolores on the east coast of the island of Samar in the Philippines on Saturday.  It brought strong winds and heavy rain to parts of Samar.  At 10:00 p.m. EST on Saturday the center of Typhoon Hagupit was located at latitude 11.8°N and longitude 124.3°E which put it near Masbate in the central Philippines and about 300 miles southeast of Manila.  Hagupit was moving toward the west at 8 m.p.h.  The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. and there were gusts to 125 m.p.h.

Hagupit was being steered to the west by a subtropical ridge to the north of the typhoon.  The subtropical ridge is expected to steer it in a generally west or west-northwesterly direction during the next day or two.  A surge of northeasterly winds could steer Hagupit to the southwest after it begins to move west of the Philippines.

The interaction of the circulation around Hagupit with the islands and topography of the central Philippines is expected to continue to weaken the typhoon.  It could bring strong winds and locally heavy rainfall to southern Luzon and Mindoro as it moves across those areas.  Heavy rains could create a potential for flooding and mudslides in some areas.  Hagupit could still be a typhoon when it moves south of Manila in 24 to 36 hours.