Philippines hit with double typhoon threat- 50 dead

July 30, 2011 – MANILA – And it is not only Korea that is suffering from extreme weather. In the northeastern Philippines, typhoon Nock-ten has killed at least 35 people and left dozens more missing this week. Winds of up to 95 kilometers an hour have pounded the country since Monday and flood waters inundated the homes of about a half-a-million people. Officials say most died as a result of landslides, drowning, or falling trees. The storm has left the Philippines, but another storm named Kabayan is forecast to bring more rain to the northern islands. –Arirang.kr

Typhoon Kabayan–”Kabayan” also known as Muifa slightly strengthened and has intensified into a typhoon as it continued its northward movement at a speed of 11 kilometers per hour, the state weather bureau said Saturday. In its latest bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the storm was spotted at 1,030 kilometers east northeast of Casiguran, Aurora. Kabayan is packing winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gustiness of 150 kilometers per hour. –Inquirer.net  

This is a very large storm is expected to reach category 4 status by Tuesday. The width of the latest image from the AIRS instrument that flies on NASA’s Aqua satellite is about 1700 km (1056 miles), and the clouds and thunderstorms associate with Tropical Storm Muifa take up that entire distance on the imagery.