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Bloomberg
Super Typhoon Yutu could rip into eastern Luzon in the Philippines on Tuesday, extending the toll of destruction it left in the US Northern Mariana Islands earlier this week.
Yutu was about 731 miles east of Luzon with winds of about 155 miles per hour, equivalent to a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, early Saturday US time, according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii. It’s generating waves of 54 feet.
“It is a very dangerous situation,†said Robert Richards, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania. “Generally when they get that strong there is a risk to life and infrastructure.â€
Yutu, called Rosita in the Philippines, will bring flooding rain, tree-snapping winds and a life-threatening storm surge when it comes ashore. Luzon is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines, home to some 53 million people.
On its current track the storm would pass well north of the capital of Manila, which could see rain and gusty winds.
Yutu became the strongest storm since 1950 to hit the US territories of Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands, when it brought winds of nearly 180 mph over the area on Wednesday. At least one person died, many were injured and buildings were destroyed or damaged, according to a blog post by meteorologist Bob Henson of Weather Underground, an IBM company.
Yutu’s winds could weaken slightly before it hits the Philippines about 2 pm local time on Tuesday.