PAGASA, Japanese agency at odds over Chedeng forecast

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has forecast tropical storm ‘Chedeng’ making landfall either in Isabela or Cagayan by Thursday evening, May 26. But the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has a slightly different forecast from that of the PAGASA. PAGASA JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY The JMA plotting of Songda — Chedeng’s international name — shows the center of its “70 percent probability circle" not hitting land but grazing Luzon’s east coast. http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/images/zooml/1102-00.png Chedeng’s latest estimated pace is 17 kilometers per hour, moving west northwest. “Tropical cyclones do not necessarily move along the lines connecting the centers of probability circles," the JMA explained on its website. The JMA forecast does show much of the Cagayan Valley region within the span of the ‘70 percent probability circle,’ indicating that the storm could also come in contact with land. The JMA projection also estimated that Songda will be near Cagayan Valley Region 2 by May 27, Friday. — VS, GMA News