BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO City – A new weather disturbance outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) was spotted before Typhoon “Egay” (international name: Doksuri) left the PAR yesterday morning.
With this, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) – Iloilo reminded the public to remain vigilant.
“Egay”” was west of Itbayat, Batanes outside PAR, based on the 11 a.m. weather bulletin of PAGASA.
“Sa karon naggwa na ini siya sa Philippine area of responsibility kag ulihi naton nakit-an 255 kilometers west of Itbayat, Batanes,” said Engineer Rolly Cuenca, weather forecaster of PAGASA Iloilo Complex, yesterday.
But he added that wind signals were still in effect in some parts of the country as the typhoon had a maximum sustained wind of 150 kilometers per hour and gustiness of 185 kilometers per hour.
As of this writing, “Egay” was moving north-northwest at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour and is forecast to make landfall in Fujian, China this Friday morning.
“Diri sa Western Visayas, although kon lantawon naton wala na na diri epekto si Bagyong ‘Egay’ but still ang southwest monsoon ukon ang habagat amo sa gyapon ang nagapadayun, still maulanon ang western portion,” Cuenca added.
Meanwhile, the low-pressure area earlier monitored by PAGASA some 1,800 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao has now strengthened into a tropical depression – and may even become a typhoon in the coming days, according to the state weather bureau.
Based on PAGASA’’s 11 a.m. weather bulletin yesterday, it was last plotted 1,585 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas.
“For the previous days may gina-monitor kita nga isa ka low pressure area. As of now, nag-develop na siya…, Cuenca said.
However, he said the new tropical depression is still far from PAR and has lower chances of landfall.
If the tropical depression enters PAR, it will have the domestic name “Falcon”, making it the sixth to hit the country this year and the third this month.
And even if the tropical depression does not enter PAR, state meteorologists said it could still enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat and bring isolated rain showers and thunderstorms this weekend particularly in the western sections of Luzon and Visayas.
“Kung lantawon, even though malayo ini siya sa pungsod naton, it’s still possible i-enhance niya ang habagat naton by Saturday (July 29) or Sunday (July 30),” Cuenca added./PN
