SMG to issue T1 for Typhoon Toraji

Tropical cyclone Toraji, currently near Luzon in the Philippines, is expected to approach within 800 kilometers of Macau early today.

The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) plans to issue Typhoon Signal No. 1. According to the latest forecast, Toraji may pass approximately 200 kilometers from Macau later this week. However, uncertainties remain regarding its exact track and intensity.

As the northeast monsoon combines with the cyclone’s effects, winds in Macau are projected to strengthen, bringing increased rainfall starting midweek. The Philippine government has taken significant precautions in response to Toraji.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of residents from 2,500 villages as the typhoon made landfall yesterday, following three major storms that had already caused widespread devastation in the region.

Rescuers reported that around 7,000 people were moved from coastal areas, as well as from flood-prone and landslide-prone regions in Aurora and Isabela, the first two provinces to be struck before Toraji plowed inland to the mountainous interior of Luzon.

With maximum sustained winds of around 130 kilometers per hour, Toraji is expected to weaken as it moves northwest across Luzon and into the South China Sea. LV