A TROPICAL disturbance is developing west of the Northern Marianas and could become a tropical depression during the next 12 to 24 hours, the National Weather Service in Tiyan, Guam said yesterday afternoon.
At 10:30 a.m. yesterday, the Emergency Management Office cancelled the tsunami warning announced at 8:30 a.m.
As for the weather disturbance, it was located about 150 miles northwest of Guam and about 150 miles west of Saipan as of 1:22 p.m. yesterday.
“This intensifying system is currently the subject of a tropical cyclone formation alert and could become a tropical depression during the next 12 to 24 hours,” the National Weather Service stated.
The tropical disturbance was moving north-northwestward around 15 mph and rainbands associated with the disturbance dropped as much as two inches of rainfall on parts of Guam yesterday morning.
Several more inches of rainfall could occur before this system moves far enough away to allow the rains to abate, the National Weather Service said.
It added that flooding will be possible in low-lying and poor drainage areas, and south winds gusting to between 20 and 30 mph will accompany the heavier showers.
At about 8:30 a.m. yesterday, EMO informed the general public about the tsunami watch after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale hit the Vanuatu island region, 2,400 miles south southeast of Saipan.
EMO said the estimated time of arrival for the tsunami wave was at about 1:23 p.m. Thursday, local time.
The tsunami watch issued by the Pacific Warning Center also covered Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Kosrae, Wallis & Futuna, Howland-Baker, Marshall Islands, Tokelau, Kermadec Islands, Pohnpei, New Zealand, Tonga, Australia, Niue, Cook Islands, Chuuk, Wake Islands, Jarvis Islands, Palmyra Islands, Guam, Johnston Islands, Yap, Marcus Islands, Belau, Midway Islands, Former Polynesia, and Hawaii.
The tsunami watch likewise included Indonesia, Samoa, and American Samoa which were hit by earthquake and tsunami last week.
