By Brian Campued
Tropical Storm Isang (international name: Kajiki) is now outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), the state weather bureau said Saturday.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Isang left the PAR at 6:30 a.m.—lifting the Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 hoisted in northwestern Luzon.
As of 10:00 a.m., PAGASA said Isang was monitored 440 km west of Bacnotan, La Union, with winds of 85 kph and gusts of up to 105 kph. It is moving westward at 30kph towards Hainan, China, where it may make landfall as a typhoon Sunday evening, Aug. 23.
While already outside the PAR, Isang will still enhance the southwest monsoon (habagat), bringing strong to gale-force gusts in Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zambales, Bataan, Lubang Island, Romblon, and Kalayaan Islands this Saturday.
The enhanced habagat will also dump moderate to heavy rains over Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro until Sunday noon.
Meanwhile, the low pressure area (LPA) southeast of Mindanao entered PAR at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and now has a “medium” chance to become a tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours.
The LPA was last spotted 1,000 km east of Southern Mindanao, PAGASA said.
If it becomes a tropical depression, it will be given the name “Jacinto”.
-jpv
