Typhoon Phanfone

Typhoon Phanfone, locally named Ursula, was a strong and deadly tropical cyclone which traversed the Philippines on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2019, the first typhoon to do so since Nock-ten in 2016. Phanfone was the twenty-ninth and final named storm of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season. The origins of Phanfone can be traced to an upper-level low which had formed near the Caroline Islands and gradually organized into a tropical depression on December 19. Moving generally west-northwestward, the system intensified into a tropical storm on December 22 and moved into the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on the following day as it continued gaining strength. Phanfone intensified to typhoon status shortly before making its first landfall over the Eastern Visayas region on December 24. Further intensification ensued until Christmas Day despite Phanfone making several landfalls over the central Philippine islands, peaking at 150 km/h (93 mph) 10-minute sustained winds with a central pressure dropping to 970 hPa (29 inHg). Phanfone maintained its typhoon strength for several hours as it exited the Philippines landmass before unfavorable conditions caused it to rapidly deteriorate and dissipate over the South China Sea. Phanfone crossed the central Philippines after the stronger Kammuri struck nearly the same region merely weeks prior, with a track fairly similar to 2013’s Haiyan. The system caused destruction in the regions of Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, and Mimaropa. The total fatalities of the said typhoon is 50 deaths (with 55 people missing, and over 300 injured) and the damages is at $67.2 million (2019 US dollars) or roughly ₱3.44 billion.