Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the North Atlantic:

Invest 99L is an area of disturbed weather in the North Atlantic that has the potential for further tropical development.

In the Eastern Pacific:

Invest 90E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for further tropical development.

In the Western Pacific:

Super Typhoon 25w (Haima), located approximately 77 nm northeast of Hong Kong, is tracking north-northwestward at 13 knots.

Newsbytes:

China - Typhoon Haima barreled into southern China on Friday after hammering the northern Philippines with ferocious wind and rain, triggering flooding, landslides and power outages and killing at least 13 people. Chinese meteorological services said the typhoon made landfall shortly after noon in the city of Shanwei in Guangdong province, packing winds of up to 166 kilometers (103 miles) per hour before weakening to a tropical storm. No major damage was immediately reported, though reports said some villages had experienced power outages and officials were on alert for heavy flooding and landslides. China had suspended dozens of flights and rail services in several southern provinces. In the city of Shenzhen, authorities ordered schools, markets and factories to close, halted public transportation and evacuated some areas.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong hunkered down as Haima lashed the financial hub with rain and wind gusts of up to 109 kph (68 mph). Schools and offices were shut, trading on the stock market suspended and commuter ferry services halted after the third most serious storm signal was hoisted, leaving an eerie calm in the streets of the normally bustling city. More than 740 flights to and from the city's international airport were canceled or delayed. By early afternoon, the storm was about 110 kilometers (70 miles) east of the city and moving away.

La Niña Reborn

Some worldwide weather agencies have shifted predictions toward a developing La Niña in the Pacific this Northern Hemisphere autumn, only a month after writing the obituary for the ocean-cooling phenomenon.

The U.S. agency NOAA now says there is a 70 percent chance of a weak La Niña. The World Meteorological Organization gives it a 50 to 60 percent probability of forming by the end of the year and persisting through the first three months of 2017.

While La Niña appeared to be developing a few months ago as the tropical Pacific began to cool, the surface winds above it failed to develop the distinct east-to-west circulation associated with the phenomenon until late September.