Myths about Sierra Madre’s typhoon barrier are dispelled by DOST and US storm chasers.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and American storm chaser Josh Morgerman have explained the long-held belief that the Sierra Madre mountain range fully shields Luzon from typhoons.

Morgerman, who is in the Philippines to document Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), said that while the Sierra Madre weakens cyclones after they hit land, it does not protect the eastern coast of Luzon from direct impact.

“Many folks are posting misinformation about the Sierra Madre Mountains in the Philippines. Let me set the record straight: The Sierra Madre chain weakens typhoons *after* they make landfall on the east coast of Luzon. These mountains do *not* protect the east coast of Luzon, which regularly experiences some of the strongest tropical cyclone impacts in the world,” Morgerman wrote on his Facebook page.