At least three Facebook (FB) posts claimed that Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) had a diameter of 1,500 kilometers. This is inaccurate.
The largest radius measured from Kristine was 850 km, and its recorded radius as of 6:00 p.m of Oct. 24 was 730 km, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) Weather Division told VERA Files Fact Check.
Also, a tropical cyclone is measured using its radius from the center, not by diameter, because cyclones are not perfect circles, a PAGASA weather specialist explained in an Oct. 24 phone call.
“Not necessarily na ido-doble siya para maging diameter. So maaaring iyong kabilang side niya is 150 kilometers lang, ” the weather division added.
(We won’t necessarily double that measurement to provide a diameter [because] the [tropical cyclone] might be 150 km in diameter on its opposite side).”
The inaccurate FB posts, which appeared on Oct. 21 and 22, carried this caption:
“THE STORM IS SO BIG! 🌀🌧️⚠️
The width of Typhoon #KristinePH now reaches 1,500 km/dm [diameter] and it almost covers (sic) the entire land of the Philippines.”
Early morning on Oct. 11, hours before the first FB post appeared, tropical cyclone Kristine — then classified as a tropical depression — carried strong winds that extended up to 550 kilometers from its center.
Data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of Oct. 29 shows that Severe Tropical Storm Kristine affected 1.34 million families or 6.86 million people, killing 139, and injuring 86 more. It triggered flooding in several provinces and destroyed infrastructure across the country.
The tropical cyclone also caused around P2.81 billion worth of damage to agriculture, data from the Department of Agriculture shows.
The FB posts in question, which appeared as Tropical Storm Kristine was located approximately 1,050 kilometers east of Southeastern Luzon, garnered a total of 1,417 reactions, 96 comments, and 1,202 shares.
