Happy (stormy) 4th of July

The 4th of July has dawned on Guam and it is a rainy, windy one. We are enjoying the first real storm of the rainy season as, Tropical Depression 08W has turned into Tropical Storm Neoguri and passes to the South of Guam. Today and tomorrow, forecasters are expecting periods of showers, isolated thunderstorms and winds blowing 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph.

According to this morning’s Pacific Daily News,

 

Weather Service officials said the depression may be a precursor to a more active El Niño weather pattern in the Western Pacific.

In May, scientists predicted that moderate to strong El Niño conditions would develop later this year, with the strongest indicators of the system in a decade.

El Niño occurs when ocean temperatures near the equator are at least 3 degrees higher than normal and can lead to increased monsoon activity and increased risk for a typhoon in the area surrounding Guam.

In the meantime we will enjoy the holiday with family and friends. In the pictures above you can see the dark sky and the tree branches broken by the wind and blown into our driveway. Further intensification of the storm is expected after it passes Guam and we pray that it does not become a typhoon that hits the Philippines or Japan.