By Alec Go
The tropical cyclone monitored outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has developed into a supertyphoon at around 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, the weather bureau said.
The cyclone, with international name “Mawar,” was eyed 2,285 kilometers (km) east of Visayas at 3:00 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/hour near the center and gustiness of 230 km/hour.
PAGASA said Mawar is moving northward at 15 km/hr and currently has a low chance of making a landfall in the country.
“Sa ngayon wala pa itong direktang epekto sa anumang bahagi ng ating bansa.
Ngunit habang ito’y tinatahak ang karagatan, posible po itong lumapit ng ating PAR at pumasok ng PAR by Friday or Saturday,” PAGASA weather forecaster Rhea Torres said.
“Posible po nitong ma-enhance o mapalakas yung hangin galing sa timog-kanluran, at ito nama’y magdadala ng mga pag-ulan o mga kaulapan na magdadala ng pag-ulan particularly sa wester section ng Visayas, as well as mindanao and some parts ng Luzon,” she continued.
Once it enters PAR, Mawar will be given its local name “Betty.” No gale warnings are in effect as of posting.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila and the rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, while Palawan will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the southwesterly wind flow.
Cloudy skies with rain will prevail over Batanes and Babuyan Islands due to the frontal system. – gb
