Published: Nov 6, 2013, 7:56 AM EST weather,com


While the Atlantic hurricane season may have taken its last breath, that is certainly not the case in the western Pacific Ocean.
Super Typhoon Haiyan will pass near the Republic of Palau Wednesday night into early Thursday local time. The northern island of Kayangel will take a direct hit from Haiyan.

A typhoon is considered a super typhoon when maximum wind speeds exceed 150 mph.

Haiyan's forecast west-northwest track will put it on a collision course with the Philippines later this week.

According to the latest forecast from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (shown in the second graphic at right), Haiyan may strengthen further before reaching the central Philippines early Friday, local time (Thursday night, U.S. time).

Given this more southern track than past tropical cyclones this season, the Philippine capital of Manila, home to roughly 12 million people in the metro area, is in danger of a direct strike by Haiyan Friday night or early Saturday local time (Friday, U.S. time).

Furthermore, another tropical cyclone (T.D. 30W) has already soaked parts of the central Philippines. Any additional rain from Haiyan will fall over saturated ground in the central Philippines, raising the threat of flooding and mudslides.

Haiyan is then expected to sweep quickly into Vietnam by Sunday, possibly still as a strong typhoon.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the Philippines are hit by six or seven tropical cyclones in an average year.

In October, Typhoon Nari flooded farmlands and destroyed thousands of homes north of Manila.

Heavy rainbands on the southern edge of Typhoon Trami flooded Manila in August, claiming at least 18 lives and chasing over one quarter million from their homes. This occurred just over a week after Typhoon Utor slammed into the northern Philippines.

Roughly 30 percent of the average annual rainfall in the northern Philippines is believed to be from tropical cyclones, according to a 2008 satellite study.

Haiyan is the Chinese word for petrel, a type of bird that lives over the open sea and returns to land only for breeding. Haiyan is the 28th named storm of the 2013 Western Pacific typhoon season.