TD ‘Isang’ slows down, seen to exit at weekend
Tropical Depression “Isang” decelerated slightly as it traversed Quirino province ahead of its expected departure on Saturday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
In its 5 p.m. bulletin, Pagasa said Isang was last monitored in the vicinity of Aglipay in Qurino, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) with gusts of up to 90 kph.
Pagasa’s forecast revealed that Isang will traverse northern Luzon and emerge over the West Philippine Sea by Friday night and exit the country’s boundary by Saturday morning or afternoon.
“Isang is forecast to intensify into a tropical storm tomorrow morning and may reach severe tropical storm category while approaching the waters south of Hainan, China,” the state weather bureau said.
“However, intensification into a tropical storm at a much earlier time (e.g., several hours after emerging over the West Philippine Sea) is not ruled out,” it also warned.
Due to its sustained strength, the state weather bureau reported that the following areas remain under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1: Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora and the northern portion of Nueva Ecija.
These areas, according to Pagasa, may experience “minimal to minor impacts from strong winds.”
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon, locally known as “habagat,” has been slightly enhanced by Isang and is expected to bring strong to gale-force gusts in other parts of the country.
