MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Depression Neneng slightly intensified as it moves northwestward over the sea east of Batanes, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Wednesday.
In a 5 a.m. advisory, the weather bureau said Neneng was located 675 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes, moving northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour (kph) with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph.
It may make landfall over the eastern coast of Taiwan between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning and its center will remain over the Philippine Sea throughout the forecast period.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon, or "habagat" is forecast to dump up to 200 millimeters of rain in Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro on Wednesday.
Metro Manila, La Union, Benguet, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, and Oriental Mindoro are expected to experience heavy rains up to 100mm.
The rest of Luzon, Antique, and Aklan will have cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms due to "habagat."
Mindanao and the rest of the Visayas will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms.
Pagasa is also monitoring two tropical depressions outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), and like Neneng, these have no direct effect on the country.
