Typhoon Ragasa hammered the Babuyan Islands just north of Luzon on Sunday night.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Mounday the center of Typhoon Ragasa was located at latitude 19.4°N and longitude 121.1°E which put the center about 50 miles (80 km) north of Claveria, Philippines.  Ragasa was moving toward the west at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 160 m.p.h. (260 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 195 m.p.h. (315 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 916 mb.

Typhoon Ragasa was the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale when it hit the Babuyan Islands just north of Luzon on Sunday night.  The eye at the center of Ragasa’s circulation passed over Babuyan Island.  Typhoon Ragasa brought potentially catastrophic winds and heavy rain to the island.  Ragasa could also have caused a storm surge of up to 16 feet (5 meters) along the coast of the island.

Typhoon Ragasa was still the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on Monday morning.  A circular eye with a diameter of 35 miles (55 km) was at the center of Ragasa’s circulation.  The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Typhoon Ragasa.  Storms near the center of Ragasa generated strong upper level divergence that pumped mass away in all directions from the typhoon.  The removal of large quantities of mass in the upper levels was nearly equal to the inflow of mass in the lower levels of the atmosphere.  The balance of inflow and outflow of mass caused the surface pressure to remain nearly constant.

The circulation around Typhoon Ragasa was large.  Winds to typhoon force extended out 80 miles (130 km) from the center of Ragasa’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 250 miles (400km) from the center of Typhoon Ragasa.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Typhoon Ragasa was 35.0.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 28.4 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 63.4.  Typhoon Ragasa was similar in intensity to Hurricane Maria when Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017.  Ragasa was bigger than Maria was.

Typhoon Ragasa will move through an environment very favorable for a powerful typhoon during the next 24 hours.  Ragasa will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Typhoon Ragasa could maintain its intensity during the next 24 hours unless an eyewall replacement cycle occurs.

Typhoon Ragasa will move around the southern side of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean.  The high pressure system will steer Ragasa toward the west during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, the center of Typhoon Ragasa will be south of Hong Kong in 48 hours.

Typhoon Ragasa will continue to produce very strong winds and heavy rain in the Batanes Islands and to the Babuyan Island until it moves farther to the west of those islands.   Typhoon Ragasa is likely to cause catastrophic damage on those islands.  Typhoon Ragasa will also continue to cause strong winds and heavy rain in northern Luzon.  Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations.

Elsewhere over the Western North Pacific Ocean, Typhoon Neoguri weakened slightly far to the east of Japan.  At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Monday the center of Typhoon Neoguri was located at latitude 30.3°N and longitude 152.0°E which put the center about 825 miles (1330 km) east of Tokyo, Japan.  Neoguri was moving toward the northeast at 11 m.p.h. (17 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 120 m.p.h. (195 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 150 m.p.h. (240 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 950 mb.