By Brian Campued
Typhoon Kalmaegi (formerly Tino) further intensified as it moved rapidly westward over the West Philippine Sea as Tropical Storm Fung-Wong continues to gain strength outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), according to the state weather bureau.
As of 10:00 a.m. this Thursday, the center of Kalmaegi was spotted 355 km northwest of Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan. It is approaching Vietnam at 40 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 165 kph and gustiness of up to 205 kph.
“Itong si Bagyong Tino ay lumabas na ng [PAR] kaninang madaling araw, 12:30. At ito pong area na sakop ng Bagyong Tino ay wala nang magiging direktang epekto sa anumang parte ng bansa,” PAGASA Weather Specialist John Manalo said.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 is still hoisted over Kalayaan Islands, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its latest bulletin. Strong winds from Tino may still be felt in the area within the next 36 hours.
PAGASA has also lifted the gale warnings on the seaboards across the country, as well as the storm surge.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fung-Wong was located 1,690 km east of northeastern Mindanao still outside the PAR. It now packs winds of 75 kph and gusts up to 90 kph, while moving northwestward at 10 kph.
Based on the track forecast, the tropical cyclone will enter the PAR as a typhoon on Friday evening (Nov. 7) or Saturday morning (Nov. 8) and will be given the local name “Uwan”.
“At pagpasok niya ng [PAR] ay mas mag-iintensify pa ito into a super typhoon bago ito mag-landfall,” Manalo said, noting that possible landfall points of Uwan are the provinces of Isabela and Aurora.
The state meteorologist advised the public to prepare for the potential hazards of the weather disturbance, such as strong winds, heavy rains, storm surge, rough sea conditions, flooding, and landslides.
-jpv
