18 October 2009
Typhoon Lupit (Ramil) update
Posted by Dave Petley
Latest update here
According to the latest track maps, Typhoon Lupit (known locally as Typhoon Ramil in the Philippines) has been effectively stalled out to the east of Luzon for the last couple of days. It may look as if the storm is now heading away from Luzon, but current forecasts are that it will resume its westward movement in the next day or so:
This is a very large and strong storm (current maximum sustained speeds are 175 km per hour, with gusts up to 210 kph). Unfortunately, it is expected to hit Luzon on Wednesday or Thursday if the storm follows the forecast track. Given the impact of the two previous storms, the consequences are potentially grave, especially if it were to track slightly further to the south than the current forecast. Unsurprisingly, there is deep concern about this storm in the Philippines – take a look for example at this article.