Areas from the Philippines to southern China and Vietnam should be on alert for another budding typhoon.
While Typhoon Songda poses no threat to land in the western Pacific Ocean, another threat lies close behind.
[restrict]
A disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms east of the Philippines is expected to organize into the next tropical storm, acquiring the name Sarika later this week.
The brewing tropical system will target the Philippines on Friday into this weekend before taking aim at southern China and/or northern Vietnam next week.
In the Philippines, AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty expects the greatest impacts to unfold from Samar to Luzon.
The system could strengthen into a typhoon prior to reaching Luzon Island this weekend. If the system remains over open water, there is a higher chance of it becoming a typhoon on a path toward northern Luzon.
Rain, wind and seas will increase as the system strengthens.
Flooding downpours and locally damaging winds threaten to graze or batter Samar and/or the Bicol region of the Luzon Friday into Saturday.
If the system continues to strengthen, the risk of flooding, mudslides, damaging winds and an inundating storm surge will only increase across northern and central Luzon this weekend.
Even if the system tracks into northern Luzon and bypasses Manila, heavy rain could stream into the capital later this weekend and trigger flooding.
While the system will likely lose some stream crossing Luzon, further strengthening is likely as it may track over the warm waters of the South China Sea early next week.
Residents from southern China, including Hainan Island, to northern Vietnam are being put on alert for the future typhoon to slam onshore around the middle of next week.
“With conducive environmental conditions along its path, we think that this will be a typhoon during this time, and it could become a strong typhoon at some point during its life,” Douty said.
“As a result, significant impacts are possible at the time of landfall.”
On the heels of this system, another will attempt to develop south and west of Guam this weekend. Scenarios for that system later next week range from a track toward northern Luzon, Taiwan or Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. [/restrict]