11 November 2006

Stormy Saturday

Last night, a part of the Net was prattling about a hurricane going berserk in Saturn (yes, the planet with rings). And why not? It was newsworthy and interesting, because unlike the types we get here on Earth, this one seemed "stuck at the pole, not drifting." It is colossal in size too --- about 2/3rds of the Earth's diameter, and with muscular winds spinning clockwise at 550kph.

But that shouldn't worry you or me. Any babble on the sheer immensity or sheer diminutiveness of anything is always relative, and based on perspectives. To a small tick, a drop of water can always mean an ocean.

What worries me is the new tropical cyclone threatening the Philippines over the weekend, our 17th typhoon for this year. Here's how it looks from the latest weather satellite feed:



There's still no sign of rain or strong winds outside. Everything looks peaceful and quiet. But who knows what will happen in the next few hours? Our new and improved weather bureau has the following forecast below:



I pray this typhoon won't mangle us like what typhoon Milenyo did more than a month ago.

2 reactions:

Anonymous said...

The number of typhoons this year appears to be unprecedented. I believe global warming and the sum total of man's abuse of the environment have a lot to do with it. Even the US have to date not signed the Kyoto Agreement.

Sometimes the deadly and eerie lull before the storm can be scary and frightening. Let's hope there will be minimal destruction. There has been so much suffering already this year all over the world from cyclones and typhoons.

Dr. Emer said...

I agree, Bayi. Fortunately, the Sierra Madre mountains in Luzon were able to weaken this typhoon. Other than a few casualties and thousands of displaced people, damage was relatively minimal. It could have been worse.