A TROPICAL cyclone with international name Mawar will enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) by Friday (May 26) or Saturday (May 27), said the state weather bureau on Monday, May 22, 2023.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) stressed, though, that there is less chance for the typhoon to make landfall.
The typhoon will be named “Betty” once it enters PAR, it added.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, the eye of the typhoon was located at 2,275 kilometers east of Mindanao. It was packing maximum winds of 140 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gusts of up to 170 km/h while moving north northwestward at 15 km/h.
Pagasa said it continues to monitor Mawar’s movement, stressing the possibility that it might enhance the southwest monsoon (habagat), which will bring rainshowers in some parts of the country.
It added that at present, the southwesterly windflow is affecting the western sections of southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Pagasa said there will be cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in Palawan due to the southwesterly windflow. This might cause possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains.
In Metro Manila and the rest of the country, there will be partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms still due to the southwesterly windflow or localized thunderstorms.
The weather bureau advised the public to continue to monitor the weather advisories and be vigilant against flooding and landslides that heavy rains might cause to prevent damage to property and death. (LMY)