MORE areas in the country, including Cebu, were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) Number 1 on Thursday afternoon, December 4, 2025, as Tropical Depression Wilma continued to move over the Philippine Sea east of Northern Samar.
In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Wilma decelerated as it inched closer to land.
As of 4 p.m., the weather system was located 575 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (km/h), gusts of up to 55 km/h, and a central pressure of 1004 hPa. It was moving west-southwest at 10 km/h.
TCWS 1 was hoisted over the southern portion of mainland Masbate (Cataingan, Pio V. Corpuz, Esperanza, Placer), Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, the northern portion of Cebu (Daanbantayan, Medellin, City of Bogo, San Remigio, Tabogon, Borbon, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Sogod, Catmon, Asturias, Carmen, Danao City, Balamban, Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion, Cebu City, Mandaue City, Cordova, Lapu-Lapu City) including Bantayan and Camotes Islands, and the eastern and central portions of Bohol (Inabanga, Sagbayan, Carmen, Garcia Hernandez, Jagna, Sierra Bullones, Pilar, Duero, Guindulman, Anda, Candijay, Mabini, Alicia, Ubay, Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, San Miguel, Dagohoy, Danao, Buenavista, Getafe, Trinidad, Talibon, Bien Unido).
Also under TCWS 1 are Surigao del Norte including Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands, Dinagat Islands, the northern portion of Surigao del Sur (Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen), and the northern portion of Agusan del Norte (Kitcharao, Jabonga, Santiago, Tubay, City of Cabadbaran).
Pagasa said Wilma is expected to move west-southwest until Saturday, December 6, before shifting to a generally westward direction in the succeeding days.
The cyclone’s center is forecast to make initial landfall over Eastern Visayas or Dinagat Islands between Friday evening, December 5, and Saturday morning, December 6.
“Afterwards, it will continue to traverse Visayas until Sunday (December 7). It will then emerge over Sulu Sea and may pass over northern Palawan between Sunday evening and Monday (December 8) morning,” said Pagasa.
Wilma may slightly intensify before landfall but is expected to remain a tropical depression throughout the forecast period, the bureau added. (LRM)