FACT CHECK: No super typhoon making landfall in PH up until January 8

Claim: Super typhoon Alakdan is set to make landfall in the Philippines on Monday, January 8, according to a January 7 weather update. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has 26,448 views and 601 likes as of writing. The channel that posted the video has 620,000 subscribers and bears a verified badge.

The facts: The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported in its 4 am update on January 8 that neither a low pressure area nor a tropical cyclone is being monitored within and outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). 

In its daily weather forecast, PAGASA reported that different weather systems will affect various parts of the country over the next few days. The northeast monsoon continues to affect Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, bringing partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rain, while the shear line is affecting the eastern section of Southern Luzon, specifically Bicol, Quezon, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. The rest of the country will experience cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the easterlies and localized thunderstorms. 

Wrong name: The misleading YouTube video claimed that the incoming super typhoon would be named Alakdan. However, the first tropical cyclone for 2024 is set to be named Aghon, according to PAGASA’s list of tropical cyclone names for 2024. Alakdan is among the weather bureau’s list of auxiliary names, which will be used in case there are more than 25 tropical cyclones in a particular year. 

Previous fact checks: While The YouTube channel that posted the misleading video is verified, this only means that it is the “official channel of a creator, artist, company, or public figure.” The authenticity of a channel’s content is not mentioned in YouTube’s guidelines for a verified badge.

For weather updates: For legitimate weather updates, visit PAGASA’s official website, Twitter page, and YouTube channel. Get updates too via Rappler’s Philippine weather page. – Katarina Ruflo/Rappler.com

Katarina Ruflo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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