Tropical Storm Maysak Weakens, Makes Landfall in the Philippines; Heavy Damage in Ulithi, Micronesia

April 5,2015



 
After attaining rare March super typhoon status Tuesday, Maysak has weakened significantly.
According to the advisory issued by the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii on Sunday morning (EDT), Maysak was a minimal tropical storm. The center of the storm was located near the west coast of Luzon Island in the northern Philippines.
Increasing wind shear – changing wind speed and/or direction with height – and impinging dry air have led to Maysak's demise the last couple of days.

Infrared Satellite: Maysak

(INTERACTIVE: Current Satellite Loop of Maysak)
Even though Maysak has weakened to a tropical storm, flash flooding and mudslides are still threats in the northern Philippines. Thousands were evacuated ahead of the storm's landfall, according to the Associated Press.

Forecast path and peak sustained winds of Maysak over the next five days. Circles denote uncertainty in the position of the center at each forecast point.

Impacts in the Philippine capital of Manila should be rather minimal. However, any outer rainbands may trigger local flash flooding in the metro area.

Maysak's History

Early last week, Super Typhoon Maysak rapidly intensified into the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. According to Weather Underground's Dr. Jeff Masters, Maysak is only the third super typhoon in reliable records dating to the 1940s with estimated winds that strong prior to April.
Masters also said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated Maysak's lowest central pressure at 905 millibars on March 31, the lowest pressure they estimated for any typhoon so early in the year.
(IMAGES: Maysak Wows Space Station Astronauts)

Maysak is also only the sixth super typhoon of record prior to April 1, according to senior digital meteorologist, Nick Wiltgen. A western Pacific tropical cyclone is named a "super typhoon" when maximum sustained winds reach 150 mph. The last such pre-April super typhoon was Super Typhoon Mitag in March 2002.
While a super typhoon Tuesday, the Yap state island of Ulithi suffered the worst of Maysak, as the southern eyewall raked the tiny atoll with less than 1,000 residents about 420 miles southwest of Guam.

Freelance photographer/writer Brad Holland documented the devastation on Ulithi. Homes were destroyed and trees were downed, and only one working bathroom was operational on the island Thursday, according to Holland.
"There's no account in these people's history of a storm like this, and the damage is immeasurable," said Holland in a Facebook post Thursday. "All that is left to survive on is what can be salvaged from what didn't blow away. There's no boat to go fishing. Every big tree that had anything good on it is upside down. There's enough water to have 1 quart per day, per person. One quart a day on an island with no shade and nothing but work to do."
Maysak's eye passed just north of Yap Island on Wednesday, local time. Winds gusted up to 48 mph at Yap International Airport.
Prior to becoming a super typhoon, Maysak caused significant damage and killed at least five people in the Chuuk state of Micronesia, according to The Associated Press. Winds gusted as high as 71 mph Chuuk International Airport on Weno Island in the Chuuk State of Micronesian on Sunday, local time. (Chuuk is 14 hours ahead of eastern daylight time.)
Guampdn.com reported about 95 percent of tin houses were destroyed in Chuuk state. Communications were down in the islands Saturday, but were restored Sunday. Kane Faylim, airport manager for the Chuuk state government told the Associated Press airport employees had clear rocks deposited by large waves from the runway of Chuuk's airstrip Tuesday, which has now been reopened.
(MORE: Maysak Latest News)
Maysak became the third typhoon of 2015, a record active early start to the year in the western Pacific, according to Weather Underground's director of meteorology, Dr. Jeff Masters.
Western Pacific Ocean tropical cyclones, called typhoons, can occur any time of the year, but typically hit a relative minimum in February and early March.
The name Maysak is Cambodian for a kind of tree.
Earlier in March, Tropical Cyclone Pam made a direct hit on the southern islands of Vanuatu in the south Pacific.
(PAM: Before/After Imagery | How You Can Help | Four Tropical Cyclones At Once)

MORE: Cyclone Pam's Devastation (Mar. 2015)