By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Typhoon Uwan has greatly weakened after traversing the mountainous terrain of Northern Luzon from Sunday night to Monday morning, according to the agency’s 11:00 a.m. bulletin.
Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong) was last located 135 km west-northwest of Bacnotan, La Union, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph, as it moves west-northwestward at 20 kph.
With the storm moving away from the Philippine landmass, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has already lifted Wind Signals No. 4 and 5, yet Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 3 prevails in Ilocos Sur, the northern and central portions of La Union, and the northwestern portion of Pangasinan.
Wind Signal No. 2 has been raised in Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, the rest of La Union, the rest of Pangasinan, Aurora, Zambales, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, and Bulacan.
Wind Signal No. 1 is declared in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (including Polillo Islands), Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro (including Lubang Island), Marinduque, Romblon, the northern portion of Palawan (including Calamian and Cuyo Islands), Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, the northern and western portions of Masbate (including Burias and Ticao Islands), Aklan, Capiz, and the northern and central portions of Antique (including Caluya Islands).
The state weather bureau still warns of storm surge in several coastal communities, which may bring up to 3-meter-high surges in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, most of Mimaropa, Aklan, and Antique within the next 48 hours.
PAGASA also issued a gale warning advisory over various seaboards in Luzon, noting risky travel for all types of vessels due to very rough seas and high waves in these coastal waters:
- Up to 8.0 m: The seaboards of Ilocos Region; the western seaboard of Zambales.
- Up to 7.0 m: The seaboards of Batanes, Cagayan, and Isabela
- Up to 5.5 m: The seaboard of Aurora and Lubang Islands; the western seaboard of Bataan and Batangas.
- Up to 4.5 m: The western seaboard of Occidental Mindoro; the northern and western seaboards of Calamian Islands
After entering the West Philippine Sea, Typhoon Uwan is expected to change direction multiple times—northwestward on Monday, northward on Tuesday (Nov. 11), and northeastward for the rest of the forecast period as it heads towards Taiwan.
The weather system may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Monday night or Tuesday morning, but may briefly re-enter PAR as it makes landfall over Taiwan, further weakening as it emerges over the waters of Ryukyu Islands on Thursday (Nov. 13).
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