By Alec Go
Tropical Storm Nanmadol, seen outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), intensified into a severe tropical storm at 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15, the country’s weather bureau reported.
In its 5:00 a.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Nanmadol may enter PAR on Thursday night or Friday morning and will be given its local name “Josie.”
“Itong trough o extension nitong si Bagyong Nanmadol [ay] hindi direktang nakaaapekto sa ating bansa,” PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said.
“Ang nakaaapekto instead ay iyong habagat or iyong southwest monsoon na siyang pinalalakas nitong si Bagyong Nanmadol at nagpapaulan sa malaking bahagi ng Southern Luzon, Visayas, at western section ng Mindanao,” he added.
Nanmadol was located 1,830 kilometers (km) east northeast of extreme Northern Luzon as of 4:00 a.m., with maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h and gustiness of up to 115 km/h. It is forecast to reach typhoon category within 24 hours.
“Habang nasa loob ng PAR, babagtasin nito ang northern part ng Philippine Sea at mananatili sa loob ng PAR sa loob lamang ng less than 24 hours. Pagsapit ng weekend, nakalabas na rin ito ng PAR,” he said.
Meanwhile, habagat may bring rains over Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Calabarzon, Zambales, Bataan, Palawan, and Occidental Mindoro.
Metro Manila may also experience intermittent rains during the afternoon.
