Powerful Typhoon Nalgae makes landfall in northern Philippines

Powerful Typhoon Nalgae makes landfall in northern Philippines

2011-10-01 11:04:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

DINAPIGUE, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- Powerful Typhoon Nalgae made landfall in the northern Philippines on Saturday morning, forecasters said, days after another typhoon tore a path of destruction through the region.

Nalgae, which is locally known as Quiel, made landfall over Dinapigue, a 4th class municipality in the province of Isabela on the island of Luzon. The storm had maximum sustained winds of around 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) per hour with gusts up to 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour.

While Nalgae has the potential to cause serious damage and casualties, the typhoon will affect the Philippines for only several hours. The storm is expected to move to the west, crossing the provinces of Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Benguet and La Union before entering the South China Sea on Saturday afternoon.

In anticipation of the storm, the Philippine government on Friday deployed additional search and rescue units from the Army, Navy and Air Force, including six helicopters, to certain areas in Central Luzon.

The island of Luzon was already hit hard earlier this week when Typhoon Nesat, locally known as Pedring, caused widespread flooding. As of Saturday morning, the death toll from Nesat stood at 50 while at least 31 others remain missing. Most of the victims were reported in Bulacan province.

Nalgae is the 19th named storm, 12th severe tropical storm and the 9th typhoon of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season. The season runs throughout 2011, with most tropical cyclones forming between May and November.

In July, the City University of Hong Kong predicted a total number of 31 tropical cyclones to form in the western North Pacific, of which 27 would become tropical storms and 17 which would further grow into a typhoon.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-01