Pagasa adopts new cyclone category

MANILA, Philippines - The state weather bureau will officially adopt the category “super typhoon” or STY for tropical cyclones that register maximum sustained winds of more than 220 kilometers per hour beginning this year.

Landrico Dalida, deputy administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the category STY will “give emphasis on the strength of the cyclone and severity of the impact on the community.”

Before the addition of the super typhoon category, PAGASA utilized only three official tropical cyclone categories, namely, tropical depression (TD), tropical storm (TS), and typhoon (TY).

Dalida said the agency has started educating the public on the new cyclone category last year.

He said the agency is also likely to use Storm Signal No. 5 for powerful cyclones. The storm warning signals currently employed by the weather bureau range only from 1 to 4.

Esperanza Cayanan, officer-in-charge of the PAGASA weather division, said the occurrence of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) on Nov. 8, 2013 prompted the agency to review its tropical cyclone classification.