Typhoon ‘Maria’ to enter PAR by July 9 – Pagasa

From Pagasa website

A typhoon is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility by Monday, the government’s weather agency said.

Typhoon “Maria” is not likely to make landfall but will enhance the southwest monsoon and dump moderate to heavy rains over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas, said weather forecaster Ezra Bulquerin.

Once the typhoon enters PAR, it will be locally named “Gardo”, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Maria was last spotted 1,965 kilometers east of Southern Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 125 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 155 kph, according to Pagasa.

The typhoon moved in a north-northwest direction at 10 kph.

Meanwhile, Pagasa said southwest monsoon continues to affect the western sections of Luzon and Visayas.

Overcast skies with a chance of rain and thunderstorms is likely to occur Friday over Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula as well as in the provinces of Palawan and Mindoro.

Pagasa also said Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain and thunderstorms this Friday.  /kga