Tropical Storm Trami formed west of Guam before making landfall Wednesday in the northern Philippines. Rainfall amounts of more than 5
MANILA, Philippines – A tropical cyclone known to Filipinos by the name ‘Kristine’ triggered disastrous flooding throughout the northern region of the country, with more than a dozen killed and several missing.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that more than 1 million residents had been impacted by the storm, with thousands likely displaced following landslides and torrential rainfall.
Identified as Tropical Storm Trami by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the system originally developed west of Guam before making landfall Wednesday in the northern Philippines.
Heavy rainfall ahead of the tropical storm, as well as previous cyclones earlier in the month, made the region especially vulnerable to flash flooding, government officials warned.
Videos and photos from the hardest-hit areas showed residents wading through chest-deep waters and members of the Coast Guard helping residents evacuate via boats.
ZIMBABWE CRITICIZED FOR ALLOWING MASS KILLING OF ELEPHANTS AMID EL NIÑO-PRODUCED DROUGHT
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TOPSHOT – An aerial view shows a coast guard rescue boat evacuating residents to safer gounds in Polangui town, Albay province South of Manila on October 23, 2024. Torrential rains driven by the storm have turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles up to their door handles in volcanic sediment knocked loose by the downpour. (Photo by CHARISM SAYAT/AFP via Getty Images)
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Residents cross a bridge filled with debris due to heavy rains brought about by Tropical Storm Trami in Polangui town, Albay province South of Manila on October 23, 2024. Torrential rains driven by the storm have turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles up to their door handles in volcanic sediment knocked loose by the downpour. (CHARISM SAYAT/AFP via Getty Images)
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An aerial view shows a resident aboard a wooden boat maneuvering past flooded houses caused by heavy rains brought about by Tropical Storm Trami in Bato town, Camarines Sur province South of Manila on October 23, 2024. Torrential rains driven by the storm have turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles up to their door handles in volcanic sediment knocked loose by the downpour. ( CHARISM SAYAT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A resident looks at a destroyed car overturned by flood waters due to heavy rains brought about by Tropical Storm Trami in Oas town, Albay province South of Manila on October 23, 2024. Torrential rains driven by the storm have turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles up to their door handles in volcanic sediment knocked loose by the downpour. (CHARISM SAYAT/AFP via Getty Images)
“People have been stuck on the roofs of their houses for several hours now. Many of our rescue trucks have stalled due to the floods,” Maria Leonor Robredo, the country’s former vice president, posted on social media.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the country’s national weather service, expected daily rainfall rates of more than 5 inches where bands trained over the same communities.
Manila, the capital of the Philippines and home to a metro area of nearly 14 million residents, was on the southern edge of the moisture envelope, but authorities were expecting heavy rainfall as the cyclone moved from east to west across the archipelago.
Despite the remnants of Kristine being expected to continue their westerly to northwesterly trek away from the islands, chances of rainfall are expected to remain in the extended forecast due to the region being in the grips of the rainy season.
According to climatological data, Manila typically sees around 100 inches of precipitation a year, with the dry season occurring during the winter and spring.
Government agencies did not release damage estimates in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but they are expected to be substantial, with hundreds of communities experiencing extensive flooding, according to disaster officials.
TROPICAL STORM YAGI TRIGGERS LANDSLIDES, FLOODING IN PHILIPPINES, LEAVING AT LEAST 14 DEAD
Satellite image of Tropical Storm Kristine by the JTWC
(NOAA)
Despite busy month, tropical cyclone activity below normal
The country’s national weather service was expecting 13 to 18 cyclones to be tracked within the agency’s area of responsibility during the 2024 season.
At least 10 cyclones have already impacted the islands, with a little more than two months to go in the year.
A lingering “La Nada” event across the Pacific likely played a role in the significant amount of inactivity across the basin and the world.
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is considered to be in a neutral state when regions of the central and eastern Pacific have anomalies between 0.5 °C and -0.5 °C – a status that was reached during early summer.
Similar to the El Niño and La Niña extremes, neutral conditions impact the climate around the globe, with more regional patterns dominating local weather.