Typhoon Vongfong is the first storm of the year in the western Pacific

(CNN) – The 2020 typhoon season in the western Pacific has started slowly. It took until Tuesday for the first storm of the year to form, Vongfong, but it quickly became a threat to the Philippines.

The typhoon season in the western Pacific does not have a definite beginning and end like the Atlantic hurricane season, since storms can form throughout the year. While the peak of the typhoon season is in the late summer, storms are often named in the winter or early spring due to the warm waters of the Pacific.

This is the eighth most recent start to the season since 1950, according to Colorado State University scientific researcher Phil Klotzbach. The last time we had a later start was in 2016, when the first named storm of the season didn’t come until the first week of July.

Typhoon Vongfong

Typhoon Vongfong is located east of the central Philippines and is slowly moving north. During Wednesday, the storm is forecast to slowly turn west and begin to approach central Philippines.

Vongfong is currently a typhoon, but he continues to be better organized and will constantly strengthen as he approaches the Philippines.

While the storm is expected to be a typhoon on landfall, the impacts of the winds will be more localized around the location of the land. However, heavy rains from the slow moving system are expected to be more widespread.

“Certainly, Vongfong will bring significant rainfall and the threat of flash floods from the Visayas, to the Bicol region and even through the Manila subway,” said Sater.

Widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 10 inches (100 to 250 mm) are expected in central and northern Philippines through Sunday. Vongfong is expected to return north and pass through Luzon on Friday and the weekend before leaving the region on Sunday.

With the Philippines located in the main breeding grounds of the tropical Pacific, they are certainly no stranger to tropical systems. In an average year they are affected by eight or nine storms.

Late-onset seasons tend to be a little quieter, but the evidence is weak, according to Klotzbach.

This story was first published on CNN.com, “Typhoon Vongfong is the first storm of the year in the western Pacific.”