Tropical Disturbance 93W (LPA) as of 12/20/2012

I can feel that Christmas is in the air now. Back-to-back Christmas (Year-End) Parties, gift buying and Christmas rush at the malls, Christmas music and decor all over the place. Yet, satellite imagery is showing a developing tropical disturbance, Invest 93W about 2,000-km away. JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) is now considering this as a Low-Pressure Area (LPA) which is the onset of a tropical depression. Should it ever develop into one, it will be called by its international name, Wukong. 

As with my first post, I am including below the analysis from www.typhoon200.com.ph. 

Looking at meteorological data I can find on the net tells me that there is a low chance for this to fully develop into a tropical cyclone. If it does, however, it won't be as strong as super typhoon Pablo (Bopha) that hit the Philippines about 3-weeks ago. The sad part here is that if it does develop further, it'll be on us, Cebu included, around Christmas. 

For now, let's pray that it does not develop so that we all have a merry Christmas. I'll be watching this disturbance, so stay tuned!

T2K/Meteomedia Graphical Satellite Analysis

www.typhoon2000.ph has been one of my favorite websites whose main purpose is giving out what PAGASA is supposed to be providing to the masses. I've been an avid online subscriber of this website for about 4-years now. The graph below is a 'top-level' weather analysis they do on the site on a daily basis and its very informational. Satellite data comes from the US NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) localized to the western pacific region.

In the image above you will read about easterlies. These are trade winds predominant in the tropics which can either come from the northeast or the southeast thus they are called easterlies. Easterlies strengthen during the polar winter when the Arctic oscillation is in its 'warm phase'. Trade winds act as the steering flow for tropical storms that form over the Atlantic, Pacific, and southern Indian Oceans and make landfall in North America, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar and eastern Africa, respectively.

The disclaimer of course is that official weather forecasting will continue to be from the national weather bureau or PAGASA. IF you want more Meteomedia Graphical Satellite Analysis, you can go straight to www.typhoon2000.com.ph. I am sure you won't be disappointed.