For at least a few hours today, two cyclones will be inside the country as a new tropical storm with international name Malakas enters the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) this morning, the state-run weather bureau said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), however, ruled out the possibility of Malakas merging with Typhoon Ferdie (international name Meranti), which was forecast to hit Batanes early today.
“They are far from each other so we don’t expect an interaction (between the two cyclones),” said Rene Paciente, chief of PAGASA’s marine meteorological services section.
But Paciente said both cyclones are expected to enhance the moisture-laden southwest monsoon, which will bring rains over Luzon, including Metro Manila, in the coming days.
Packing winds of 215 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 250 kph, Ferdie moved closer to extreme Northern Luzon yesterday, prompting the weather bureau to raise tropical cyclone warning signals over several areas in the region.
The eye of Ferdie was spotted at 165 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes as of 4 p.m. yesterday. It was moving west-northwest at 24 kph.
Paciente said Ferdie is expected to make landfall over Batanes this morning. The Batanes group of islands was placed under tropical cyclone warning signal No. 4 as of 5 p.m. yesterday.
He said Ferdie was no longer expected to reach the super typhoon category.
PAGASA classifies a cyclone with winds of more than 220 kph as super typhoon.
Signal No. 3, meanwhile, was hoisted over Babuyan group of islands; signal No. 2 over Ilocos Norte, Apayao and Northern Cagayan and signal No. 1 over the rest of Cagayan, Northern Isabela, Kalinga, Abra and Northern Ilocos Sur.
Batanes and the Babuyan islands are the most likely to be hit by damaging winds and heavy rainfall.
Paciente said very strong winds and heavy rains started pounding Northern Luzon yesterday. He said these areas will continue to experience inclement weather until this afternoon as Ferdie exits the country.
He said moderate to heavy rains are expected within the typhoon’s 600-km diameter.
The weather agency also warned residents in Northern and Eastern Cagayan of possible storm surge, which could reach up to two meters.
Although Ferdie enhances the southwest monsoon, only light to moderate rains are forecast over the western section of Luzon.
Paciente explained most of the rain-bearing clouds were pulled by a tropical cyclone with international name Rai away from the country.
As Ferdie lashes Northern Luzon, Tropical Storm Malakas is expected to enter the PAR this morning and will be given the local name Gener.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the eye of Malakas was located at 1,625 km east of Luzon, packing winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.
It was forecast to move west-northwest at a speed of 20 kph.
According to Paciente, Malakas is predicted to also enhance the southwest monsoon beginning tomorrow.
He said Malakas could follow the track of Ferdie.
“It could still intensify into a typhoon but is unlikely to reach the strength of Ferdie because the areas it will cross are already cold due to Ferdie,” Paciente said.
Paciente said he expects Malakas’ early “recurvature” towards southern Japan.
Gov’t agencies on alert
Government agencies are on blue alert in preparation for the landfall of Ferdie.
Mina Marasigan, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, yesterday said almost half of the agency’s workforce is on standby to ensure availability of personnel.
Marasigan said a meeting with NDRRC officials and personnel was held yesterday to ensure maximum assistance in affected areas.
NGCP prepares for Ferdie
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has implemented the necessary preparations to minimize the impact of Ferdie on transmission operations and facilities.
In a statement yesterday, NGCP said preparations included ensuring the reliability of communications equipment, availability of hardware materials and supplies necessary for the repair of damage to facilities, as well as the positioning of line crews in strategic areas to facilitate immediate restoration work.
Meanwhile, Catholic dioceses in Northern Luzon yesterday said churches could serve as evacuation centers for those who will be affected by Ferdie.
No more La Niña?
In a related development, PAGASA said the possibility of a La Niña occurrence this year became slim.
PAGASA deputy administrator Flaviana Hilario said latest global climate forecasts show a stronger “neutral” status, which meant weaker chances of La Niña developing.
La Niña refers to the abnormal cooling of the waters in the equatorial region of the eastern Pacific Ocean and is associated with excessive rainfall.
However, Hilario still warned Filipinos of heavy rains from strong tropical cyclones that will enter during the latter part of the year.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), however, do not discount the possibility of La Niña later this year.
The BoM said international climate models suggest neutral to weak La Niña levels for the remainder of the year.
The last time the Philippines experienced a La Niña event was in 2012 when several areas, including Metro Manila, were hit by massive flooding due to days of intense rains brought by enhanced southwest monsoon.
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