International storm chasers are in the Philippines for Super Typhoon Uwan
Popular international storm chasers Josh Morgerman and James Reynolds are in the Philippines to "hunt" Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-Wong).
Through their social media pages, Morgerman and Reynolds have been sharing updates about Uwan, which has already caused flooding in areas like Catanduanes and Bicol on Nov. 9.
On Nov. 8, Morgerman announced that he arrived in Manila before he headed for Aurora Province to monitor the super typhoon.
"This one could be a real beast," he said, adding that before ST Uwan, he chased Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica toward the end of October. On Nov. 7, authorities confirmed that 32 died and 36,000 individuals were affected by what was considered "one of the most powerful hurricanes" to hit Jamaica.
The American storm chaser shared that he is staying in a waterfront hotel in Baler to watch Uwan.
"The air has a sort of heavy, thick, magical texture to it," he said in a post on Nov. 8 evening.
On Sunday morning, he shared clips of waves crashing against the seawall in Baler.
"My location right on the waterfront in Baler in the Philippines is kind of dicey—I think there's gonna be major storm surge issues here. But it's a spectacular front-row seat for observing, documenting, and measuring Typhoon Fung-Wong (Uwan) as it comes roaring in off the Pacific tonight," he captioned, adding that he'll ride out the storm in Aurora province.
In another video, he shared that some waves crashed over the seawall and threw him against the patio railing. Morgerman assured that he's okay and that the incident served as a "good lesson about respecting the power of water."
Meanwhile, Reynolds has been in the Philippines, specifically Tacloban, since Nov. 3, before Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) hit Visayas.
Like Morgerman, the British storm chaser is in Baler to monitor ST Uwan.
"This is a huge typhoon—the size of it is something I haven't seen in a long time, and it's also intensified," he said in a video on Nov. 8 morning.
In a clip from Sunday morning, Reynolds described the waves as having "real weight" behind them.
"[They] continue to grow and get heavier as the day progresses and typhoon Uwan gets closer," he captioned another video.
Who are these storm chasers?
Morgerman and Reynolds are storm chasers—people who follow extreme weather events to experience, photograph, or study them.
For his part, Morgerman is a TV personality, speaker, and influencer who has appeared in Mission: Hurricane, Hurricane Man, and more. He also works as an anchor and field correspondent for WeatherNation. Now 55, Morgerman has been hunting violent cyclones around the world since he was 21.
"He has a penchant for chasing difficult-to-reach storms in exotic locations—the ones no one else will go after," his website reads.
The Harvard University graduate has now been on the ground for 83 hurricanes, including ones that hit the Philippines: Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, Typhoon Santi in 2013, Super Typhoon Ompong in 2018, Super Typhoon Pepito in 2024, and more.
Reynolds has also been chasing typhoons for over two decades now, after it began as a hobby for him. After graduating from the Edinburgh University in Scotland, he went to Shanghai and worked for a television production company making documentaries. His first solo chase was in September 2006 in Vietnam, and he would continue this after he realized he could monetize his hobby. Later on, he appeared on segments for the Weather Channel and CNN.
Like Morgerman, Reynolds chased Yolanda, Santi, Typhoon Lando in 2015, Ompong, Typhoon Tisoy in 2019, and most recently Typhoon Tino.
Occasionally, he also covers volcanic eruptions and snow.
Super Typhoon Uwan is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Nov. 11.
