TCCOR All-Clear declared for Okinawa; Palau in Bopha’s crosshairs
Published: November 30, 2012
Noon Saturday, Dec. 1, Japan time: Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness All-Clear has been issued effective midnight Saturday for Okinawa. It will remain that way until June 1, 2013, or unless conditions change sufficiently enough to warrant a TCCOR change.
Simply put, at this time of year, sea-surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions are far cooler than in summer months, and can’t support or sustain a tropical cyclone in the Okinawa/Iwo Jima areas.
Guam, meanwhile, remains in TCCOR 4 year-round, and with good reason: Three of the worst typhoons ever recorded on Guam came during what most of the northern hemisphere would determine “out of season.” Typhoon Pamela ravaged Guam in May 1976, Typhoon Paka did the same in December 1997 and Pongsona leveled the place in December 2002. Typhoon Karen pummeled Guam on Nov. 14, 1962
At this writing, Palau is in the crosshairs of Typhoon Bopha, which formed several days ago in the Chu’uk region, headed well south of Guam, but is forecast by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center to make an almost-direct hit on Palau, packing sustained 144-mph winds and 173-mph gusts early morning Sunday. Palau and Yap are currently under typhoon and tropical storm watches.
