on analysis from the Japan Meteorological Agency – the official warning center for the western Pacific Ocean. Three hours later, the JTWC began tracking the system as Tropical Depression 20W. At that time, the storm had moved south of Guam and was passing north of Palau. The nascent depression moved generally westward toward the Philippines. Initially, development was hindered by the outflow from Typhoon Zeb, which had struck Luzon and was moving northward. However, the depression was able to intensify into a tropical storm on October 15, at which time the JTWC named it Babs. Later that day, the storm reached 1‑minute winds of 85 km/h (50 mph), and it entered the area of responsibility of PAGASA – the Philippine weather agency – which gave it the local name Loleng. On October 17, a tropical upper tropospheric trough to the northeast weakened the subtropical ridge, causing Babs to slow and drift to the south; the same trough restricted outflow, causing the circulation to become exposed from the convection. The trough weakened and the shear decreased on October 18, allowing the storm to restrengthen. On October 19, a ship in the proximity of Babs reported 10‑minute winds of 96 km/h (60 mph), indicating that the storm was intensifying. At 00:00 UTC that day, the JTWC upgraded the storm to typhoon status, and the JMA followed suit 18 hours later. Babs rapidly intensified subsequently as it developed a well-defined eye 15 km (9 mi) in diameter. At 12:00 UTC on October 20, the JMA assessed that the typhoon reached peak 10‑minute winds of 155 km/h (100 mph), while the JTWC estimated peak 1‑minute winds of 250 km/h (155 mph), making Babs an unofficial super typhoon. The gale-force winds extended 335 km (205 mi) northeast from the center, while the strongest winds extended 75 km (45 mi) from the eye. Around the time of peak intensity, Babs made landfall on the Philippine island of Catanduanes, where a weather station recorded a minimum barometric pressure of in Virac. However, the official lowest pressure from the JMA was . The winds decreased slightly as Babs moved across Catanduanes, although it soon moved over open waters into Lamon Bay, where it struck Polillo Island. According to the JTWC, Babs had weakened to winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) on October 22 before quickly re-intensifying to winds of 215 km/h (130 mph) as it approached Luzon. At