ACCORDING to a recent National Weather Service workshop, Guam “will have slightly less than a 50-50 chance of getting a destructive typhoon during the last quarter of the year.”
Charles “Chip” Guard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Guam-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, made the prediction yesterday at the workshop held at the Marriott.
On the typhoon prediction, Guard said this is due to Guam transitioning from ENSO-neutral to a weak El Niño in August of this year.”
ENSO refers to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). There is a connection between the state of ENSO and tropical cyclone activity, according to Guard.
He also indicated in the typhoon prediction that “during an ENSO-neutral state, which is the transition state between El Niño and La Niña, the chance of getting a direct hit by a tropical storm or a typhoon is much better than during La Niña.”
During the workshop, Guard tackled tropical cyclone risk and vulnerability; tropical cyclone decision-making; climate change and implications; tsunami risk and warning capabilities; and other topics concerning disaster preparedness.
He said Guam is prepared for any impending hazards such as tropical cyclones and tsunamis. In fact, he said, Guam is storm-ready and tsunami-ready.
According to Ken Artero, typhoon program manager of the Guam Homeland Security-Office of Civil Defense, around 90 representatives from the government and the private sector participated in the workshop.
Just recently, Artero said, the governor signed a proclamation declaring “National Hurricane Preparedness Week.”
