Tropical Cyclone Danas formed as an area of low pressure over the western Philippine Sea 15 to 16 July, 2019, moving north of Luzon Island, Philippines, as it strengthened.
Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)
Known locally ‘Falcon’, the storm brought heavy rain to some areas of Luzon Island, where flood warnings have been issued. According to WMO figures, Aparri in the province of Cagayan recorded 115 mm of rain in 24 hours to 17 July. Vigan in Ilocos Sur Province recorded 108.7 mm during the same period.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that, although Danas had moved out the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), “moderate to at times heavy rains will be experienced over Ilocos Region, Zambales, and Bataan, Meanwhile, light to moderate rains will be experienced over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.”
The Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and Development reported that, as of 18 July, around 2,000 people were affected and 800 displaced in the regions of Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley. Over 1,300 of those affected are in Cagayan Province. Houses were damaged or destroyed in Ilocos Norte and Apayao.
Tropical Cyclone Danas continues north in the Philippine Sea, along the eastern coast of Taiwan, where 2,000 people have been evacuated as a precaution, approaching the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
