waiting for Utor

a storm [supposedly] hit the Visayas region some time between the 9th and the 10th of December. Cebu, fortunately, is not within the direct path of this latest monster to hit the Philippines. internationally codenamed Utor and locally named Seniang, a Storm Signal No. 1, though, was issued in Cebu the other day.

well it’s already midday of the 10th and nothing much has happened. not that i’m wishing for it, but i’ve never really experienced a storm in my life. maybe i would like to experience one firsthand. (hahaha.. . yeah right!) so far it’s only been moderate-to-heavy rains and strong winds yesterday and today. not the type of rain that would cause flash floods, nor is it the kind of wind to topple billboards and blow off rooftops, no.

last night, as my friends and i were hanging out in some billiard hall (Pipeline) here in Cebu, i was frequently looking up over my shoulder towards the sky expecting to see the eye of Utor to suddenly appear over the city. the wind was strong enough to make see-saws out of the overhead lamps hanging on top of the billiard tables, but a puny force against the unused plastic chairs and the empty beer bottles sitting bored atop tables. not that i was worried. instead i was silently mocking Utor and taunting it to come over. (crazy!)

perhaps another wild storm went unnoticed late last night. a silent one to boot and a she as well. i’ll not elaborate anymore.. . hehe 😀

anyway, this is the 3rd typhoon to hit the Philippines in the past 3 months. it seems there is one every month. as far as i remember there was Milenyo (Xangsane) during the closing days of September and the first few days of October. then followed Reming last November (Durian). now it’s Seniang. funny but the initials of these 3 typhoons are M,R and S, or MRS. what’s that, Most Requested Storms? hehehe.. .

Trivia:

Bagyo is the current name in the Philippines for a tropical cyclone. Tropical cyclones are also called hurricanes, tropical depressions, tropical storms and typhoons depending upon intensity.

A tropical cyclone that has matured to a severe intensity is called a hurricane when it occurs in the Atlantic Ocean or adjacent seas. It is called a typhoon when it occurs in the Pacific Ocean area, the China seas or adjacent seas; a willy-willy around Australia; or simply a cyclone or tropical cyclone when it occurs in the Indian Ocean region.

A tropical cyclone is a typhoon if it has winds that exceed 118 kilometer per hours (kph). It is a super typhoon if it carries winds of around 185 kph (or storm signal no. 4). Less intense than typhoons are tropical storms which pack winds of 64 to 118 kph. Anything that has winds that do not exceed 63 kph is called a tropical depression.

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Notice: This article was published on December 10, 2006 and the content above may be out of date.
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