Severe tropical storm heading toward PAR

Tropical Storm “Kong-Rey” has intensified and turned into a severe tropical storm, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Sunday.

Pagasa said Kong-Rey was spotted at 1,445 kilometers (km) east of the Visayas, outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) as of 10 a.m.

The weather bureau said Kong-Rey was expected to enter the PAR between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Once inside PAR, it would be named “Queenie.”

Kong-Rey is expected to intensify into a typhoon after entering the PAR, Pagasa said.

The weather disturbance had maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of 120 kph.

It is moving west-northwest direction at a speed of 25 kph. /cbb