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Rota placed under flood watch
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Posted on Sep 20 2004
A new tropical storm is brewing south of Guam, prompting the Emergency Management Office to warn residents of neighboring Rota of possible flash floods.
The EMO said tropical depression 25W was expected to intensify to a storm last night and bring heavy rainfall on Rota and intermittent showers on Saipan and Tinian.
EMO director Rudolfo Pua also warned beachgoers and small sea vessels of high surf off Saipan and Tinian.
As of 1pm yesterday, the National Weather Service located the tropical depression about 60 miles south-southwest of Hagatna, Guam.
Carrying 30mph winds, the tropical depression moved west-southwest at 10mph. The NWS predicted that 25W would further intensify.
“Tropical storm conditions, including damaging winds of 39mph or more, are possible tonight and Tuesday morning,” the EMO said yesterday afternoon in a public advisory. Intermittent showers dampened roads on Saipan yesterday.
Once a group of thunderstorms come together under the right atmospheric conditions for a long enough time, they may organize into a tropical depression.
A tropical depression becomes a storm when wind strength reaches 39-74mph. A storm elevates into a typhoon when wind strength reaches at least 75mph. Once wind strength intensifies to at least 150mph, the weather disturbance becomes a supertyphoon.
