Not a tornado, strong winds in Manila explained by Mang Tani, PAGASA

Weather bureau PAGASA on Thursday said that the powerful winds that wreaked havoc in several areas in Manila on Wednesday is not a tornado but a downburst.

“Base na rin sa napansin natin na wind movement ay most likely downburst or 'yung hangin na mula sa thunderstorm clouds na tumama sa lupa,” weather forecaster Chris Perez said in  Saleema Refran’s report on “24 Oras."

(Based on what we observed in the wind movements, most likely these are downbursts or the winds from thunderstorm clouds that hit the land.)

“Sa loob ng ulap ay may hangin na kumikilos pataas at pababa. Nasa loob lamang 'yun ng isang ulap ng isang thunderstorm cloud pero kapag magsisimula nang bumuhos ang ulan karaniwan nagiging dominant o nagiging mas malakas ang hangin pababa. Simula sa ulap, sa thunderstorm cloud, bababa po ito papunta sa kalupaan ng isang area at pag tumama sa lupa saka ito kikilos horizontally,” he added.

(Inside the clouds are winds moving upward and downward. These are inside the thunderstorm cloud but once it rains, these become dominant, or sometimes, the winds moving downwards get stronger. From the cloud, it will go deeper to the land and will move horizontally.)

Perez said downbursts are normal occurrences during the rainy season.    He added these are often observed in areas congested with infrastructures like the city of Manila.

“‘Yung lakas na hangin na tatama sa isang open space, kumpara sa with the same strength of hangin na tatama sa maraming building na lugar ay mas mararamdaman ang epekto dun sa mga crowded na lugar,” he said.

(The strength of the winds hitting an area with a lot of buildings will be stronger compared to winds circulating in open space.)

The downbursts were seen in various parts of the city including Sta. Cruz which saw plastic barriers and trees toppling due to its intensity.

GMA resident meteorologist Nathaniel "Mang Tani" Cruz reminded the public to always be vigilant during thunderstorms.

“Basta may thunderstorm, talagang dapat IM Ready tayo dahil ang daming hazard o panganib na dala-dala ang isang thunderstorm,” Cruz said.

(As long as there are thunderstorms, we should be IM Ready because it poses a lot of hazards and dangers.)

“At itong nakita natin kahapon, tingin ko mahigit 100 kilometers per hour. Pang-signal number 3 na bagyo. Kaya yung ganoon kalakas na hangin...eh buti nga mga structures ay konkreto. Kung hindi, ang daming sinira noon -- puno, bahay, at lalo na 'yung mga tao na pwedeng madisgrasya,” he added.

(What we saw yesterday, I think it was over 100 kph. Its strength is similar to storms under Signal No. 3. Fortunately, the structures are concrete. If not, it would have been more destructive to trees, houses and dangerous to people.)

To remain safe, PAGASA advised the public to immediately seek cover during heavy rains or strong winds. If inside a vehicle, stop driving and park in an area free of hazards including trees and electric posts.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA News