Monthly Bulletins. [1906]

248

In a note of September 19 the Observatory stated that this typhoon entered the China Sea
between parallels 17~ and 18~, moving to the WNW. on the morning of this day. Winds reported
very strong in Aparri and Tuguegarao and strong in Santo Domingo. At 1 p. m. of the 19th the
center was to the SE. of Hongkong, distant more than 300 miles; in the early morning of the 20th it
was less than 300 miles distant from that British colony and to the SW. of it, moving still toward
WNW. and probably reaching the coast of Hainan in the early morning of the 21st.
TYPHOONS OF THE THIRD DECADE.
On the 21st a new depression appeared to the E. of south Luzon, as stated by the Observatory in
a note issued at 10 a. m. of the same day.
Explanation of Plate E.-In fact, a cyclone was noticeable on the 18th toward the SE. of Yap,
which traveled to the WNW. The barometers on the eastern coast of Samar began to fall decidedly
on the 20th, as may be seen in the barogram of Borongan. In the afternoon of the 21st the center
passed some 50 miles north of Gubat, Sorsogon, and twelve hours later it crossed very close south of
Atimonan inclining slightly to the west, and a few hours later it crossed the meridian of Manila some
20 miles south of the city, moving from the southern portion of the Laguna. de Bay along the
boundaries of the Provinces of Cavite and Batangas and reaching the China Sea through the coast of
Batangas Province in the evening of the 21st. The heaviest rains occurred in a zone 40 miles around
the center, as in Legaspi, Atimonan, Manila, Santa Cruz de la Laguna, Olongapo, Cavite, and Corregidor. The winds also were strong in this zone, but no winds of hurricane force were reported, except
in the center, as the gradient was not very steep. The direction of the vortex on the 21st was considered very dangerous for Manila and adjoining provinces, and warnings were issued accordingly. In
the morning of the 23rd the center was to the east of Paracels inclining slightly to the north. In
the early morning of the 24th it moved into the Gulf of Tongkin and entered the continent south of
the gulf in the afternoon. As it may be seen, this typhoon was of the type of ".The Cantabria
Cyclone," but less violent and of very different gradient.
Whilst this typhoon crossed Luzon another depression was forming near Guam to the E. of said
island on. the 20th, which moved between Guam and Yap toward W. by N. This proved to be the
severest storm of the month. On the 25th its presence in the east became evident and warnings to
the eastern stations were issued by this Bureau. On the 26th it crossed north of the eastern Visayas
and about midnight it was nort of Legaspi, still moving to the W. by N. About 2 o'clock a-. m. of the
27th the center was over Baler with such a steep gradient that the barometer fell over 1 inch in less
than two hours. The amount of destruction can be easily imagined. Four hours later the vortex
passed 12 miles south of Baguio, where the winds were less violent than in Dagupan at the same
distance south of the trajectory. Whence it follows that the vortex inclined slightly toward the north
in the interior of Luzon during the 27th. The center reached the China Sea in the Lingayen Gulf
through the town of Santo Tomas, Union Province, crossing probably the north end of Zambales and
inclining more to the north. From several reports it appears that in the morning of the 29th it was
less than 300 miles south of Hongkong, recurving toward the north, and reached the continent between
Macao and Kwong Chan Wan Bay during the night of the 29th.
The principal features of the most important meteorological elements may be seen in Plate F.
The area of rain of the last typhoon was extremely large as the precipitation was- as abundant
in Legaspi, more than 100 miles south of the trajectory, as in Baler, in the very center, and
in Aparri, more than 200 miles north of the center, as in Manila, 120 miles south of it.
Owing to the passage of so many important storms the mean values of the meteorological
elements show a large departure from the normal values as is evident from the tables published
in this bulletin.