TROPICAL Depression Maring has intensified into a tropical storm on Tuesday night, September 11, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported.

Pagasa said Maring, which was located at 145 kilometers (km) west southwest of Iba, Zambales, as of 10 p.m., is now moving west northwest towards the West Philippine Sea at 15 kilometers per hour (kph). It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.

The tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 75kph near the center and gustiness of up to 90kph.

Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number 1 was raised over Zambales and Bataan provinces, which are expected to experience moderate to occasionally heavy rains.

Pagasa said Tarlac, Pampanga, and Bulacan provinces are expected to experience light to moderate with occasionally heavy rains during thunderstorms. Residents in these areas are alerted against possible landslide and flashfloods.

Maring dumped heavy rain in several areas in Luzon on Tuesday, flooding Metro Manila and nearby provinces and causing landslides and flash floods that killed at least four people.

Six others were missing, including five residents of Laguna province, where floods swept away a house next to a swollen river, disaster relief officials said. The other missing person was reported in nearby Cavite province, where several areas were submerged.

The state weather bureau also warned that sea travel remains risky over the seaboards of Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mindoro regions.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Lannie, which was located at 655km east northeast of Basco, Batanes, has maintained its strength while moving in a west northwest direction and has no direct effect to the country. (DDA/SunStar Philippines)