PAGASA's New Definitions for Super Typhoon and Wind Signals
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has released the new definitions for super typhoon and wind signals last Wednesday, March 23.
Based on DOST Philippines' Facebook post, tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of at least 185 km/h will now be classified as a super typhoon, from its previous maximum sustained winds exceeding 220 km/h.
This marks the shift in local weather forecasting. The weather bureau revisited its super typhoon, including its tropical cyclone wind signal definitions.
Based on an article published by Rappler, the reasons behind modifying the tropical cyclone wind signals are:
1. ) Damage assessment showed that the effects on the ground of Signal Nos. 4 and 5 in the old system were “indistinguishable from each other.”
2.) Signal No. 2 in the old system covered “a wide range of wind speeds” – 61 to 120 km/h – which meant that the severity of the impact would also have a wide range, making it “rather inefficient for warning purposes.”
