Pagasa: ‘Hanna’ now a severe tropical storm

MANILA, Philippines – Tropical Storm Hanna (international name Lekima) has since intensified into a severe tropical storm midday Tuesday, the state weather bureau said.

Moderate to heavy monsoon rains will prevail in Western Visayas, northern portions of Palawan (including Calamian and Cuyo Islands), Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Cavite, Batangas and Laguna, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will be experienced over Metro Manila, Central Visayas and the rest of Luzon.

“Hanna,” last spotted 795 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan , packs a maximum sustained wind speed of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 115 kph and remained almost stationary.

“Hanna” is also not likely to make landfall but weather specialist Benison Estareja said the possibility of Signal No. 1 being raised over extreme Northern Luzon would be the “worst case scenario.”

Rough seas

Operators and crew members of small vessels are advised not to sail to the seaboards of Luzon and Visayas and the northern and eastern seaboards of Mindanao due to potentially rough sea conditions.

Looming threats

Two more weather disturbances outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR)      are being monitored by Pagasa.

A low pressure area over the West Philippine Sea is not likely to intensify into a tropical cyclone, while a tropical depression over the Pacific Ocean is not likely to enter PAR.  /gsg