By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
After continuing on a highly uncertain forecast track on Monday, Pilandok intensified into a tropical storm as it continued to hover over the Philippine Sea.
In PAGASA’s 11:00 a.m. update, Pilandok (international name: Krovanh) was last located 1,060 km east of extreme northern Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kph and gustiness of up to 80 kph as it moved almost stationarily.
Due to its distance from the Philippine landmass, no wind signals or gale warnings were issued by PAGASA. However, the state weather bureau advised very rough seas over the following coastal waters:
- Up to 5.0 m: The western seaboards of Batanes and Babuyan Islands; the seaboards of Ilocos Norte.
- Up to 4.5 m: The seaboards of Ilocos Sur and northern La Union; the western seaboard of Pangasinan; the northern seaboard of Babuyan Islands; the remaining seaboard of Batanes.
Fisherfolk and owners of small vessels are likewise advised not to venture out to open waters due to rough seas over the following coastal waters:
- Up to 4.0 m: The seaboard of Zambales.
- Up to 3.5 m: The western seaboards of Bataan and Lubang Islands.
- Up to 3.0 m: The remaining seaboard of Babuyan Islands; the southern seaboard of Bataan; the western seaboards of Cavite, Batangas, northern Occidental Mindoro, and Calamian Islands; the northern and western seaboard of Kalayaan Islands; the remaining seaboard of Lubang Islands.
Tropical Storm Pilandok is forecast to slowly turn east northeastward then northward for the next 24 hours before turning north-northwestward for the remainder of the forecast period.
PAGASA, likewise, added that the weather system is less likely to make landfall over any part of the country and will remain distant from the Philippine landmass—and will remain as a tropical storm as it moves towards southern Japan.
Meanwhile, the state weather bureau is currently monitoring two other weather disturbances outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).
As of 8:00 a.m., a tropical depression weakened into a low pressure area and was last located 655 km west-northwest of Itbayat, Batanes, as it slowly moves west-northwestward. It is unlikely to re-develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours.
An LPA was also spotted 2,975 km east of southeastern Luzon, moving north northwestward at 15 kph, with a medium chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next 24 hours.
These weather systems are expected to enhance the effects of southwest monsoon (habagat), which continues to bring rainfall over several regions in the Philippines.
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