Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Tropical Storm Washi kills 632 in the Philippines

Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 3:47 PM GMT on December 19, 2011

+21

The death toll on the Philippine island of Mindanao is at least 632, with hundreds still missing, in the wake of extreme flash flooding from Friday's passage of Tropical Storm Washi. (December 29 update: the death toll has risen to 1249, with 79 still missing.) Washi hit Mindanao as a tropical storm with 45 - 55 mph winds, crossing the island in about eighteen hours. Washi was unusually wet, as the storm was able to tap a large stream of tropical moisture extending far to the east (see the University of Wisconsin CIMSS satellite blog for imagery.) Aiding the heavy rains were sea surface temperatures that were nearly 1°C above average off the east coast of Mindanao, one of the top five warmest values on record. The exceptionally warm waters added about 7% more moisture than is usual for this time of year to the atmosphere. Washi hit a portion of the Philippines that does not see tropical storms and typhoons very often. Mindanao lies between 6°N and 9°N latitude, which is too close to the Equator for the Earth's spin to provide much help for a tropical storm trying to get spinning. Mindanao is thus hit only about once every twelve years by a significant tropical storm or typhoon. Washi's rains were not all that unusual for a Philippine tropical storm, with a peak rainfall amount of 7.44" (189 mm) observed in the city of Hinatuan. However, since the rains fell on regions where the natural forest had been illegally logged or converted to pineapple plantations, the heavy rains were able to run off quickly on the relatively barren soils and create devastating flash floods. Since the storm hit in the middle of the night, and affected an unprepared population that had no flood warning system in place, the death toll was tragically high. Washi is currently a tropical depression near the southern coast of Vietnam, and is dissipating.

Figure 1. MODIS true-color satellite image of Tropical Storm Washi at 01:45 UTC December 16, 2011, as it bore down on the Philippines. At the time, Washi had top sustatined winds of 50 mph. Image credit: NASA.

Figure 2. Track of Tropical Storm Washi. The storm crossed the Philippines unusually far to the south, near 8°N latitude.

Washi the deadliest tropical cyclone of 2011
The death toll from Washi is by far the highest for any tropical cyclone in 2011, surpassing the 215 people that died in Myanmar from Tropical Storm 02B in October. The deadliest storm in the world so far in 2011 occurred on January 11, when torrential rains of approximately 300 mm (12 inches) inundated a heavily populated, steep-sloped area about 40 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. Flash floods and mudslides from the heavy rains claimed 902 lives and caused $1.2 billion in damage. It was Brazil's deadliest storm in history. If we add Washi's toll to a list of deadliest storms of 2011 compiled by insurance broker AON Benfield, the Philippine disaster currently ranks as the third deadliest storm of 2011:

Deadliest natural disaster of 2011: the East Africa drought
While Tropical Storm Washi and the January 11 flash floods in Brazil are the deadliest storms of 2011, there is one weather-related disaster in 2011 that far surpasses these floods for number of people killed: the devastating East Africa drought in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. On July 20, the United Nations officially declared famine in two regions of southern Somalia--the first time a famine has been declared by the UN in nearly thirty years. Almost 30,000 children under the age of five were believed to have died of malnutrition in Somalia this summer, and the total death toll of this great drought is doubtless much higher. At least thirteen million people in East Africa are in need of food aid. Weather Underground has partnered with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help the Horn of Africa region during the ongoing famine. With the help of the Weather Underground community, we hope to raise $10,000 that will go toward helping the refugees survive the crisis. Weather Underground will match the community's donation dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000 for a total donation of $20,000. Please visit the International Rescue Committee donation page to help out. Ninety cents of every dollar donated goes directly to the people in need.

Winter storm Joachim batters Europe
One of the most intense storms in recent years carved a path across Western Europe December 15 - 17th. Named winter-storm ‘Joachim’, the center of the storm passed between France and the United Kingdom, then across the Low Countries and into Northwestern Germany and on to Poland. A peak wind gust of 211 kph (131 mph) was measured at Puy de Dome in Auvergne, France. In Germany, sustained winds of 87 mph were measured at Wendelstein at 8 pm local time on December 16th. The central pressure of Joachim fell as low as 963.8 mb (28.46”) in Braunschweig in western Germany, which may be the lowest pressure ever recorded in Germany. Wunderground's weather historian, Christopher C. Burt, has the details in his latest post.

Wunderground releases its free iPhone app
We are proud to announce that our free Weather Underground iPhone app is now live in the iTunes store. Don't worry Android users, we anticipate that the Android version will be live later today.

I'll have a new post on Tuesday.

Jeff Masters

Road blocked 2 washi 2011 (nroussel)

Road broke down by washi on December 20th, 2011.

Categories: Extreme Weather Hurricane

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151. Neapolitan 3:36 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Quoting Chicklit: re: 147, was that Joplin? Tuscaloosa: "Photo is from UPS driver, Jimmy Jones...He took the picture on April 27, from under the 31st Street Bridge Overpass at I-359. The damaged vehicle on the other side of the road, to the right of the red SUV, is his UPS truck. He was headed in the opposite direction before the tornado struck!" (Note the person crawling from the driver's side of the red SUV.) Member Since: November 8, 2009 Posts: 4 Comments: 11308

152. SPLbeater 3:37 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Quoting Ameister12: Australia's heating up. i must add to that image:D Member Since: August 4, 2011 Posts: 43 Comments: 3961

153. Ameister12 3:48 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Quoting Chicklit: re: 147, was that Joplin? No. It's Tuscaloosa. The picture was taken by a UPS driver, Jimmy Jones under the 31st Street Bridge Overpass moments after the tornado passed by. Link Member Since: August 9, 2009 Posts: 9 Comments: 3628

154. Patrap 3:58 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Philippines Floods 2011: Government Declares State Of Calamity As Death Toll Nears 1,000 ILIGAN, Philippines -- The government shipped more than 400 coffins to two flood-stricken cities in the southern Philippines on Tuesday as the death toll neared 1,000 and President Benigno Aquino III declared a state of national calamity. The latest count listed 957 dead and 49 missing and is expected to climb further as additional bodies are recovered from the sea and mud in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities. A handful of morgues are overwhelmed and running out of coffins and formaldehyde for embalming. Aid workers appealed for bottled water, blankets, tents and clothes for many of 45,000 in crowded evacuation centers. Navy sailors in Manila loaded a ship with 437 white wooden coffins to help local authorities handle the staggering number of dead. Also on the way were containers with thousands of water bottles. Most of the dead were women and children who drowned Friday night when flash floods triggered by a tropical storm gushed into homes while people were asleep. Dozens of grieving relatives of at least 38 victims wept openly during funeral rites at the Iligan city cemetery. Many wore masks to try to block the stench of decomposing bodies. "We have to give the dead a decent burial," Mayor Lawrence Cruz said. He said authorities were using part of the cemetery's passageway to build tombs. A Briton was the first foreigner reported dead in the flooding, according to the British Embassy in Manila. It didn't provide details. Aquino, on a visit to Cagayan de Oro on Tuesday, said the declaration of a national calamity will help local authorities gain quick access to recovery funds and keep prices of basic goods stable. "Our national government will do its best to prevent a repeat of this tragedy," Aquino told residents who came to greet him. He said there would be an assessment of why so many people died, if there was ample warning that a storm would sweep through the area, and why people living along riverbanks and close to the coast had not been moved to safety. "I do not accept that everything had been done. I know that we can do more. We must determine what really happened," Aquino said. "Must this end in tragedy? We knew that (storm) was coming. There should have been efforts to avoid the destruction." The U.N. food agency flew in 3 tons of high-protein biscuits together with water tanks, blankets, tarpaulins and tents for some 75,000 people. Shortage of water was still a major problem in the two cities. In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. "The United Nations and its partners stand ready to support the government in responding to this disaster," the deputy spokesman added. A resident wades through a flooded street with an electric fan following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo) Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

155. hydrus 4:03 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Quoting ChillinInTheKeys: The Voice of NOAA Weather sings Deck the Halls.... Link Great link. Thank you for posting it. Member Since: September 27, 2007 Posts: 1 Comments: 14721

156. Patrap 4:06 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
There are now 366 Giorni day's until the 2012 Winter Solstice. Enjoy your Tuesday. Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

157. Tazmanian 4:50 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Quoting Patrap: There are now 366 Giorni day's until the 2012 Winter Solstice. Enjoy your Tuesday. is there point too this? Member Since: May 21, 2006 Posts: 5089 Comments: 111632

158. CybrTeddy 4:50 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Quoting Tazmanian: is there point too this? Dec. 21. 2012 taz. ;) Member Since: July 8, 2005 Posts: 255 Comments: 20658

159. RitaEvac 5:01 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
The point is, Pat is using Voodo magic countdown Member Since: July 14, 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8953

160. AtHomeInTX 5:16 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Getting more rain at my house than in quite awhile. It's still raining.. This does constitute news in these parts. Lol. Hopefully I'll be getting an accurate measure of these things in the near future thanks to a rain gauge a friend told me about. Thanks D. ;-) However the temps dropping quickly since the onset of the rain. Started out at 67 now down to 55. Member Since: August 24, 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 3999

161. BahaHurican 5:17 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Being from the home of voodoo and all, [US] why is one surprised? LOL I gatta admit I was wondering what a Giorni day was, but have been too lazy to look it up... Member Since: October 25, 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17961

162. BahaHurican 5:19 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
So... an actual cold front, AtHome? [Though it seems it fizzles before Florida...] Member Since: October 25, 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17961

163. bappit 5:20 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
Looking it up doesn't give a clear picture. Member Since: May 18, 2006 Posts: 5 Comments: 4427

164. Neapolitan 5:32 PM GMT on December 20, 2011
For anyone interested, Dr. Masters has had a new blog entry up for awhile. Member Since: November 8, 2009 Posts: 4 Comments: 11308

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