MANILA, Philippines – The state-run weather agency on Wednesday raised Signal No. 1 over six Luzon provinces as the super typhoon now called ‘Inday’ entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
Affected areas include Batanes, Cagayan, including Babuyan Islands, the northern and central portions of Isabela, Apayao, the eastern portion of Kalinga, the northern portion of Aurora, and the northern and central portions of Catanduanes, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its 5 a.m. briefing.
Weather specialist Chenel Dominguez said Inday, estimated to be 1,405 kilometers east of Northern Luzon while packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 230kph, has been forecast to move generally westward over the next 24 hours.
“It will then turn northwestward while remaining over the Philippine Sea and may be nearest to extreme Northern Luzon by Friday before heading towards the southern islands of Japan and the sea north of Taiwan,” according to the Pagasa forecaster.
Likely to exit PAR by Saturday and make landfall over the eastern coast of mainland China by Sunday, the super typhoon will maintain its strength but will downgrade into a typhoon by Thursday afternoon or evening, she added.
The national weather bureau said most parts of the archipelago have been experiencing scattered or isolated rain showers and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon, locally known as ‘habagat.’
Meanwhile, Dominguez said it would be generally fair weather in the rest of the country, including Metro Manila, within 24 hours. Isolated rain showers are likely in the late afternoon or at night due to localized thunderstorms.
