Tropical Storm Trami formed west of Guam before making landfall in the northern Philippines on Wednesday. Precipitation amounts of more than 5

MANILA, Philippines – A tropical cyclone known to Filipinos as “Kristine” triggered devastating flooding across the northern part of the country, leaving more than a dozen people dead and several missing.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that more than a million residents were affected by the storm and thousands were likely displaced following landslides and torrential rains.

The system, identified by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center as Tropical Storm Trami, initially developed west of Guam before making landfall in the northern Philippines on Wednesday.

Heavy rains leading up to the tropical storm, as well as previous hurricanes earlier in the month, made the region particularly vulnerable to flash flooding, government officials warned.

Videos and photos from the hardest-hit areas showed residents wading through chest-deep water and Coast Guard members helping residents evacuate with boats.

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“People have been stuck on the roofs of their houses for several hours. Many of our ambulances have stopped due to the flooding,” Maria Leonor Robredo, the country’s former vice president, posted on social media.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the country's national weather service, expected daily precipitation rates of more than 5 inches as bands trained over the same communities.

Manila, the capital of the Philippines and home to a metropolitan area of ​​nearly 14 million people, was on the southern edge of the envelope of moisture, but authorities expected heavy rains as the cyclone moved east to west across the archipelago.

Although Kristine's remnants are expected to continue their west-northwestward migration away from the islands, the chance of precipitation is expected to remain in the extended forecast as the region falls into the wet season.

According to climatological data, Manila typically receives about 250 cm of rainfall per year, with the dry season occurring in winter and spring.

Government authorities did not release damage estimates in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but significant damage is expected as hundreds of communities will be affected by significant flooding, according to disaster authorities.

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Satellite image of Tropical Storm Kristine from JTWC

(NOAA)

Despite a busy month, tropical cyclone activity is below normal

The country's National Weather Service expected 13 to 18 hurricanes would be observed within the agency's jurisdiction during the 2024 season.

At least ten cyclones have already hit the islands, with just over two months left in the year.

A sustained “La Nada” event across the Pacific likely played a role in the significant inactivity across the basin and around the world.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is considered neutral when regions in the central and eastern Pacific experience anomalies between 0.5°C and -0.5°C – a condition reached in early summer.

Similar to the El Niño and La Niña extremes, neutral conditions impact climate around the globe, with more regional patterns dominating local weather.