AT LEAST seven areas in Luzon have been placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) Number 1, as Tropical Storm Ineng intensified Thursday morning, August 22, while moving west northwest.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has raised TCWS 1 over Batanes, Cagayan including the Babuyan Group of Islands, Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, northern Abra and Ilocos Norte.
Ineng, though, remains less likely to make landfall in the country, said Pagasa in its 11 a.m. Thursday bulletin.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, August 22, the center of Ineng was located at 725 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora, packing maximum winds of up to 75 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gusts of up to 90 km/h.
It is moving west northwest at 15 km/h, said Pagasa.
The weather bureau said that today, Thursday, moderate to occasionally heavy rains due to Ineng will affect Bicol, Northern Samar, and Quezon Province, while light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains due to the southwest monsoon (habagat) will prevail over Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro Provinces, northern Palawan (including Calamian and Cuyo Islands), Antique and Aklan.
On Friday, August 23, Pagasa said moderate to occasionally heavy rains due to Ineng may be experienced over Batanes, Cagayan (including Babuyan Group of Islands), Isabela, Aurora, and Quezon.
Light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains due to the southwest monsoon will prevail over Metro Manila, the rest of northern and Central Luzon, Cavite, Batangas, northern Palawan (including Calamian and Cuyo Islands), Antique and Aklan, it added.
Pagasa advised residents in the aforementioned areas, especially those living in areas identified to be highly or very highly susceptible to floods and rain-induced landslides, to take precautionary measures, coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and continue monitoring for updates.
It said sea travel is also risky over the eastern seaboards of southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao due to potentially rough sea conditions. (LMY/SunStar Philippines)