Tropical Storm Fung-Wong brought heavy rainfall and flash flooding to Guam on Thursday as the system moved northwest through the Philippine Sea, prompting weather forecasters to issue an urgent warning for central and southern portions of the island.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 1:41 p.m. for southwestern Guam after radar and automated rain gauges detected between 1.6 and three inches of rainfall, with rates reaching four to six inches per hour in some areas.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center upgraded the system to tropical storm status at 1 p.m. Thursday with sustained winds of 45 mph. The Japan Meteorological Agency had named it Fung-Wong overnight while classifying it as a tropical storm, though JTWC initially maintained its tropical depression designation.
Brandon Aydlett, science and operations officer at the National Weather Service, said conditions intensified Thursday afternoon as a persistent rain band stalled over the island.
