At a Glance

The first super typhoon of 2021 explosively intensified on Saturday.For a brief time, it was among the strongest tropical cyclones in history. Surigae is expected to weaken, but will brush the Philippines with heavy rain and gusty winds.

Typhoon Surigae is brushing by the eastern Philippines with heavy rain and gusty winds after explosively intensifying on Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds in Surigae hit 190 mph at 2 p.m EDT on Saturday, according to the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That made Surigae the strongest typhoon on record for the month of April.

Surigae also became one of only , notes Sam Lillo, a researcher at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

Surigae is now weakening as it gradually turns north and northeast early this week.

This track is a close shave for the Philippines with most of the worst impacts staying offshore.

Bands of heavy rain will lash the central and northern Philippines, particularly areas closest to the Philippine Sea into Monday. The heavy rain could trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides.

Rainfall Potential From Surigae

(This should be interpreted as a broad outlook of where the heaviest rain may fall and may shift based on the forecast path of the tropical cyclone. Higher amounts may occur where bands of rain stall over a period of a few hours. )

Coastal flooding can be expected, particularly in bays and inlets, as the center of Surigae passes near. Battering waves riding atop the storm surge could lead to beach erosion and damage to structures near the Philippine Sea coast.

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Tropical-storm-force winds capable of at least damage to trees and high-risk structures are most possible in the Eastern Visayas and Bicol Region into Monday local time.

rake the Philippines each year, on average, more than any country on Earth, according to the Philippines' weather service, PAGASA.

They can strike any time of year, but July through October is their peak season, when 70% of typhoons develop.

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