Typhoon Koto,known in the Philippines as Typhoon Verbena,is an active tropical cyclone traversing through the South China Sea after impacting much of the Visayas and portions of Luzon and Mindanao in the Philippines. The twenty-seventh named storm and fourteenth typhoon of the annual typhoon season,Koto developed off the eastern coast of Mindanao on November23,then tracked westward across the country,making seven landfalls before emerging over the South China Sea,where it strengthened into a typhoon.
In the Philippines,Koto,together with the prevailing shear line,triggered flooding and landslides that left two people missing,compounding the impacts from the recent Typhoons Kalmaegi and Fung-wong.[1]
Meteorological history
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity,according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
At 04:00PHT (20:00UTC the previous day) on November23, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced the entry of a low-pressure area to the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), carrying a high chance of development.[2] At 12:00UTC, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) also identified an area of low pressure.[3] Three hours later, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) designated the system as Invest 92W, located roughly 171 nautical miles (317km) west-northwest of Palau, noting flaring convection and developing banding along the southern periphery of its circulation. The agency assessed environmental conditions as favorable, including low wind shear.[4] By 18:00UTC, the JMA upgraded the disturbance to a tropical depression east of Mindanao.[5] At 02:00PHT (18:00UTC) on November24, PAGASA likewise classified the system as a tropical depression and assigned the name Verbena.[6] At 13:30PHT (05:30UTC), Verbena made its first landfall over Bayabas, Surigao del Sur.[7] At 06:00UTC, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert for the system, citing generally favorable conditions.[8] The JMA noted that limited firmness of the system's structure along with an obscure low-level center kept the system from strengthening.[9] As it tracked westward, clusters of deep convection began to wrap more consistently around the circulation.[10] Verbena made a second landfall at 23:10PHT (15:10UTC) over Jagna, Bohol.[11]
The system made two more landfalls on November25: at 02:40PHT (18:40UTC the previous day) over Talisay City, Cebu, and again at 05:50PHT (21:50UTC the previous day) over Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental.[12] At 21:00UTC, the JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical depression, designating it as 33W, and reported a developing central dense overcast (CDO) and a possible low-level circulation center within generally favorable environmental conditions.[13] 33W then made its fifth and sixth landfalls in Western Visayas—at 07:40PHT (23:40UTC the previous day) over San Lorenzo, Guimaras, and at 08:50PHT (00:50UTC) over Miagao, Iloilo.[14] As the circulation rapidly consolidated, deep convection persisted and organized into a symmetrical CDO.[15] The JTWC subsequently upgraded the system to a tropical storm as curved rainbands tightened around the center.[16][17] At 20:00PHT (12:00UTC), PAGASA also upgraded the system to a tropical storm.[18] At the same time, the JMA named the storm Koto, the Japanese word for harp and the constellation Lyra, replacing the retired name Kammuri after its usage following the 2019 season.[19] At 22:50PHT (14:50UTC), Koto made its seventh landfall over Linapacan, Palawan before tracking west-northwest away from the Philippines.[20]
Deep convection remained displaced slightly from the center as cloud tops cooled,[21] and the JTWC later noted a slight northward tilt in the vortex on November26.[22] At 11:00PHT (03:00UTC), PAGASA upgraded Koto to a severe tropical storm.[23] At 12:00UTC, the JMA upgraded Koto to a typhoon,[24] while cirrus filaments expanded and the CDO flared at the center of the circulation..[25] At 21:00UTC, the JTWC likewise upgraded Koto to a typhoon as radial outflow strengthened.[26][27] An exposed low-level circulation center with shear deep convection, the JTWC reported that the system's structure was weakened with dry air in the eastern quadrant, aiding in its weakening.[28] At 21:00 UTC, the JTWC downgraded Koto into a tropical storm while the JMA downgraded Koto into a severe tropical storm likewise.[29][30] The former cited rapidly warming cloud tops along with strong southeasterly wind shear enabling the decoupling of the central convection in an increasingly hostile environment;[31] the latter, meanwhile reported an unfavorable environment caused by low sea surface temperatures and an increased vertical wind shear.[32]
Lapu-Lapu City activated its Emergency Operations Center as the government was in heightened alert. [41] The city also assessed a Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) by mayor Cynthia Chan in the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall.[42]Roll-on/roll-off vessels were only permitted to sail if they had a tonnage more than 300.[43] On November 24, 13 ports suspended sea trips nationwide.[44] Flood-prone barangays in Liloan were preemptively evacuated.[45] Negros Occidental also performed preemptive evacuation to centers with stocked food and water.[46] The Mandaue city government started the evacuation of residents in preparation for the approach of the storm, as its water absorption capacity caused flooding risks to increase, after Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino) affected the city last November 4.[47] Overnight, more than 4,700 people evacuated from Cebu City while 81 barangay health centers remained on active duty.[48] Authorities and emergency responders in Bicol were placed on high alert as heavy rains affected the area.[49]
Vietnam
The National Civil Defense Steering Committee instructed People's Committees of provinces and cities from Quang Tri to Lam Dong to organize disaster response plans for Koto.[50]
Impact
The Southern Visayas Coast Guard reported that 390 passengers were stranded in the area on November 24 in 27 vessels and 169 rolling cargoes.[51] As alerts were raised in parts of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, on November 25, reported 5,576 passengers stranded nationwide.[52] As heavy rains and floods coalesced in Negros Occidental,[53] four transmission lines in the Visayas archipelago were deemed unavailable.[54] Floodwaters rose fast in Antequera, Bohol, submerging numerous houses. Floods in Bohol served waist-deep while rivers overflowed.[55] A vessel was stuck for an hour due to damage to its steering wheel in Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte; an airplane struggled to land in Roxas Airport due to inclement weather.[56] In Olango Island, 22 houses were damaged due to light construction materials used in the island's houses as well as the island's proximity to the coast.[57]
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that 275,458 people across the Philippines were affected by Koto, of which 82,827 were displaced. At least 13 houses were destroyed while 82 others were damaged. At least 37 road sections and five bridges were rendered impassable. Seventy-nine seaports were closed, stranding 3,727 passengers and 158 maritime vessels. In the Negros Island Region, two people were reported missing.[58] More than 3,000 people were displaced in Bacolod.[59] while at least 2,000 were displaced in Bohol and at least 13,831 were displaced in Negros Occidental.[60]
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