By Alec Go
More areas have been placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) Nos. 1 and 2 as Typhoon Egay continues to intensify on Monday morning, July 24, the state weather bureau said.
As of 10:00 a.m., the typhoon was estimated 525 kilometers (km) east of baler, Aurora with maximum sustained winds of 150 km per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 185 km/h.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) listed the following areas under TCWS Nos. 1 and 2:
“Malayo pa ang sentro nito pero dahil sa malawak na kaulapan nito, may ilang bahagi na ng ating bansa, partikular sa bandang silangan at Luzon at Visayas ang posibleng nakararanas na ng mga pag-ulan na dulot nito,” PAGASA Asst. Weather Services chief Chris Perez said.
“May kabagalan ang pagkilos nito kaya within the next 24 hours inaasahan nating posibleng mababad sa pag-ulan itong mga lalawigan sa silangang bahagi ng Luzon at Visayas,” he added.
PAGASA said “Egay” may reach super typhoon category by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
It may also “make landfall or pass very close to the Babuyan Islands-Batane” area between late Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon.
“Sa darating naman na Huwebes, inaasahan nating tuluyan na itong lalabas ng ating area of responsibility sa layong 245 km west ng Itbayat, Batanes,” Perez said.
A gale warning is currently in effect over the coastal waters along the northern and eastern seaboards of northern Luzon, the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon, the seaboards of Southeastern Luzon, and the eastern seaboards of Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao.
Meanwhile, western portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas may experience cloudy skies due to the southwest monsoon (habagat).
PAGASA advised local government units and local disaster response teams to prepare for possible landslides and flooding due to habagat and the typhoon.
