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Kujira

Western Pacific Tropical Storm · WP132026
17.7°N, 120.2°E
Moving E at 9 mph
Max Winds
40 mph
Pressure
994 mb
Forecast Points
3
JMA Winds (10-min avg)
35.0 kt
JMA Pressure
998.0 hPa
JMA (10-min average): Typhoon No. 2614 · Kujira

Summary

Tropical Storm Kujira has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. It is moving east at about 9 mph and is located about 204 nautical miles north-northwest of Manila, Philippines, with the center just northwest of Vigan. Kujira has turned eastward and is accelerating toward western Luzon. Landfall is expected within the next few hours along the coast between Vigan and Laoag, followed by rapid movement across northern Luzon and then emerging offshore into the Philippine Sea between 12 and 18 hours from now. Some brief strengthening to around 46 mph (40 kt) is possible just before landfall, but interaction with Luzon’s terrain is expected to cause steady weakening. The system is forecast to weaken into a tropical depression (about 29–35 mph, 25–30 kt) after crossing Luzon, then degenerate into an open trough by 24 hours while still maintaining strong monsoon-surge winds mainly on its southern side.
Key messages
  • Landfall is expected within the next few hours along the coast between Vigan and Laoag in northern Luzon.
  • Brief strengthening to about 46 mph (40 kt) is possible before landfall, followed by weakening as the storm crosses northern Luzon.
  • After emerging into the Philippine Sea, Kujira is forecast to weaken into a tropical depression and then degenerate into an open trough by 24 hours, with stronger winds mainly on the southern flank.

Forecast intensity

JTWC forecast maximum sustained winds (mph) by hour.

Satellite Imagery (IR)

Kujira IR satellite
CIRA/RAMMB · 05 Aug 20:00 UTC
JTWC Warning #4 05 Aug 12:00 UTC
WTPN32 PGTW 051500
MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI//
SUBJ/TROPICAL STORM 13W (KUJIRA) WARNING NR 004//
RMKS/
1. TROPICAL STORM 13W (KUJIRA) WARNING NR 004    
   02 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONES IN NORTHWESTPAC
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
    ---
   WARNING POSITION:
   051200Z --- NEAR 17.8N 119.8E
     MOVEMENT PAST SIX HOURS - 090 DEGREES AT 08 KTS
     POSITION ACCURATE TO WITHIN 060 NM
     POSITION BASED ON CENTER LOCATED BY SATELLITE
   PRESENT WIND DISTRIBUTION:
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 035 KT, GUSTS 045 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   RADIUS OF 034 KT WINDS - 000 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT
                            075 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
                            070 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT
                            000 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT
   REPEAT POSIT: 17.8N 119.8E
    ---
   FORECASTS:
   12 HRS, VALID AT:
   060000Z --- 17.4N 121.5E
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 030 KT, GUSTS 040 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   VECTOR TO 24 HR POSIT: 100 DEG/ 16 KTS
    ---
   24 HRS, VALID AT:
   061200Z --- 16.7N 124.8E
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 025 KT, GUSTS 035 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   DISSIPATING AS A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE OVER WATER
   VECTOR TO 36 HR POSIT: 080 DEG/ 21 KTS
    ---
   36 HRS, VALID AT:
   070000Z --- 17.4N 129.1E
   MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 025 KT, GUSTS 035 KT
   WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY
   DISSIPATED AS A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE OVER WATER
    ---
REMARKS:
051500Z POSITION NEAR 17.7N 120.2E. 05AUG26. TROPICAL STORM 13W 
(KUJIRA), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 204 NM NORTH-NORTHWEST OF MANILA, 
PHILIPPINES, HAS TRACKED EASTWARD AT 08 KNOTS OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE AT 051200Z IS 998 MB. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT 
WAVE HEIGHT AT 051200Z IS 12 FEET. NEXT WARNINGS AT 052100Z, 060300Z, 
060900Z AND 061500Z. REFER TO TYPHOON 12W (DOLPHIN) WARNINGS (WTPN31 
PGTW) FOR SIX-HOURLY UPDATES.//
NNNN
Forecast Reasoning 05 Aug 15:00 UTC
WDPN32 PGTW 051500
MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI//
SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 13W (KUJIRA) WARNING NR 
004//
RMKS/
1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS.
2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS.

SUMMARY:
   INITIAL POSITION: 17.8N 119.8E
   INITIAL INTENSITY: 35 KTS
   GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 204 NM NORTH-NORTHWEST OF MANILA,
PHILIPPINES
   MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: EASTWARD AT 08 KTS
   SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 12 FEET

SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION:
ANIMATED SHORTWAVE INFRARED (SWIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS A
COMPACT LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) LOCATED JUST NORTHWEST
OF VIGAN, PHILIPPINES. OVER THE PAST 2-3 HOURS, DEEP CONVECTION HAS
RE-DEVELOPED ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE VORTEX AND
EXPANDED NORTHWARD, ENVELOPING THE LLCC. OUTER CONVECTIVE BANDS ALONG 
THE EASTERN FLANK OF TS 13W ARE RESOLVED ON THE PAGASA RADAR LOOP,
PROVIDING HIGHER CONFIDENCE IN THE CENTER POSITION (ASSESSED WITH 
MEDIUM CONFIDENCE). THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS ASSESSED AT 35 KNOTS WITH 
MEDIUM CONFIDENCE, CONSISTENT WITH RECENT SCATTEROMETRY AND CIMSS ADT 
AND D-PRINT ESTIMATES. WHILE CIMSS ANALYSIS INDICATES 15 KNOTS OF 
DEEP-LAYER VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS), CIRA DERIVED MOTION VECTOR 
(DMV) WINDS AND WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATE A SIGNIFICANT WEAKENING 
OF UPPER-LEVEL NORTHEASTERLY WINDS ALONG THE SYSTEM'S NORTHEASTERN 
FLANK, RESULTING IN A LOWER SHEAR ENVIRONMENT OVER THE CORE. THIS 
DIAGNOSIS IS SUBSTANTIATED BY RECENT CONVECTIVE RE-DEVELOPMENT AND 
RAPID VERTICAL VORTEX ALIGNMENT OBSERVED IN THE SWIR ANIMATIONS. 
OVERALL, THE ENVIRONMENT IS CHARACTERIZED AS MARGINAL; WHILE PROXIMITY 
TO LAND IMPEDES CONSOLIDATION, HIGH SSTS (29-30C), LOW VWS, AND STRONG 
EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW FAVOR DEVELOPMENT.

INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: PERSISTENCE 

CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT, DOMINATED BY
THE LOWER-LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY MONSOONAL SURGE FLOW. 

AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: 
   PGTW: T2.0 - 30 KTS
   RJTD: T2.0 - 30 KTS
   RCTP: T2.0 - 30 KTS
   KNES: T2.0 - 30 KTS
   CIMSS ADT: 35 KTS AT 051200Z
   CIMSS AIDT: 31 KTS AT 051200Z
   CIMSS D-PRINT: 33 KTS AT 051210Z

FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINAL
   VWS: 15-20 KTS
   SST: 29-30 CELSIUS
   OUTFLOW: STRONG EQUATORWARD
   OTHER FACTORS: PROXIMITY TO LAND. 

ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE:
   INITIAL POSITION: MEDIUM
   INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM
   INITIAL WIND RADII: LOW

3. FORECAST REASONING.

SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO
THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING.

FORECAST DISCUSSION: TS 13W HAS TURNED EASTWARD AND ACCELERATED
TOWARDS WESTERN LUZON SINCE THE 0600Z ANALYSIS. LOW-LEVEL
SOUTHWESTERLIES ASSOCIATED WITH A MONSOON SURGE ARE INTENSIFYING,
STEERING TS 13W EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH TAU 24. LANDFALL ALONG THE 
COAST BETWEEN VIGAN AND LAOAG IS EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS, 
FOLLOWED BY RAPID ACCELERATION ACROSS NORTHERN LUZON AND OFFSHORE 
EMERGENCE INTO THE PHILIPPINE SEA BETWEEN TAU 12 AND TAU 18. THROUGH 
THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD, THE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE ON AN 
EAST-NORTHEASTWARD TRAJECTORY ALONG THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE 
SURGING MONSOON SOUTHWESTERLIES. REGARDING INTENSITY, BRIEF 
INTENSIFICATION UP TO 40 KNOTS IS POSSIBLE IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO 
LANDFALL; HOWEVER, TERRAIN INTERACTION OVER NORTHERN LUZON WILL 
INDUCE STEADY WEAKENING. DUE TO THE RAPID TRANSLATION SPEED, TS 13W 
WILL EMERGE OFFSHORE AS A 25-30 KNOT TROPICAL DEPRESSION BEFORE 
DEGENERATING INTO AN OPEN TROUGH BY TAU 24, FEATURING AN ASYMMETRIC 
WIND FIELD WITH 25-30 KNOT MONSOON SURGE WINDS CONFINED TO THE 
SOUTHERN FLANK. AS THE SYSTEM OPENS INTO A TROUGH, IT WILL LOSE 
TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS WHILE MAINTAINING WINDS ABOVE WARNING 
THRESHOLDS. BEYOND THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD, THE REMNANT 
VORTICITY WILL TRACK NORTHEASTWARD AND BE ABSORBED INTO THE EXPANSIVE 
CIRCULATION OF TY 12W PASSING TO THE NORTH.  

MODEL DISCUSSION: TRACK GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE
OVERALL TRACK SCENARIO, WITH RELIABLE NUMERICAL MODEL GUIDANCE AND 
THE JTWC SUPER ENSEMBLE CONSISTENTLY DEPICTING AN EASTWARD TRACK INTO 
THE PHILIPPINE SEA. THE JTWC FORECAST IS POSITIONED NEAR THE AI 
CONSENSUS MEAN WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS MIXED; 
HWRF INDICATES UNREALISTIC INTENSIFICATION TO 45 KNOTS OVER LAND, 
WHICH IS CONSIDERED LOW PROBABILITY AND DISCOUNTED. THE REMAINDER OF 
THE GUIDANCE DEPICTS WEAKENING ACROSS LUZON, FOLLOWED BY FLAT-LINING 
OR SLIGHT RE-INTENSIFICATION WITHIN THE MONSOON ENVELOPE. DECAY-SHIPS 
AND GOOGLE DEEPMIND ARE THE ONLY MEMBERS WEAKENING THE SYSTEM BELOW 
25 KNOTS. THE JTWC FORECAST IS PLACED NEAR THE DECAY-SHIPS GUIDANCE 
WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. 

FORECAST CONFIDENCE:
   TRACK 00-72 HR: MEDIUM
   INTENSITY 00-72 HR: MEDIUM//
NNNN
Products not available for West Pacific storms
  • NEXRAD radar — no radar coverage over the open West Pacific.
  • Storm-surge inundation — no public storm-surge model for this basin.
  • Wind-speed probabilities — JTWC does not publish them.
  • Watches and warnings — issued by local agencies (PAGASA, JMA, CWA), not JTWC.
  • Reconnaissance aircraft — no routine aircraft reconnaissance in the West Pacific.
  • Rapid-intensification and shear diagnostics — SHIPS-based guidance is not published for this basin.
These are data-availability limits for the West Pacific basin, not omissions.

Source: U.S. Navy/Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), via the UCAR Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project. JTWC data is in the public domain. · Updated 2026-08-05 19:56 UTC · JMA analysis: Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (10-minute average winds). Satellite imagery: CIRA/RAMMB.