Now, with an example of just the sort of storm that has been forecast: over 240 people dead in Philippines, 32 or more killed in Vietnam, as result of Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy in Philippines).
From the Philippine Enquirer:
More rain fell on Manila and surrounding regions in nine hours on Saturday than the amount Hurricane “Katrina” dumped on New Orleans in 2005.
The ferocity of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) shocked even seasoned experts in this country where an average 20 typhoons hit every year, but they said it continued a recent pattern of unusually bad weather.
Civil defense chief Anthony Golez and chief weather forecaster Prisco Nilo said they were puzzled by strange changes in the behavior of the typhoons over the past two years.
In early 2007, three typhoons hit the country, with an unusual one in February triggering a landslide that killed 250 people in Southern Leyte province, Golez said.
The typhoons also deviated from their traditional paths during the month of June, traversing the northern and central parts of Luzon for the first time.
‘Very strange years’
“When you try to scientifically observe the data … we will find this year and last year as very strange years, and we can only presuppose that this is due to climate change,” Golez said.
…
Jose Bersales, humanitarian and emergency affairs director at charity World Vision, warned that the Philippine storm was likely a taste of more doom for the world’s poorest, who often are the least prepared for storms.