‘Onyok’ to dump rains over Batanes

MANILA, Philippines — Severe Tropical Storm “Onyok” will bring rains with gusty winds over Batanes province and Babuyan Group of Islands on Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Sunday.

Both areas had already been placed under signal no. 1 as of Sunday, said Pagasa weather specialist Aldczar Aurelio.

As of 4 p.m. on Sunday, Onyok was estimated at 455 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan province. It packed maximum sustained winds of up to 110 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 135 kph.

No landfall

Moving northwest at 25 kph, it has strengthened as it moved over the Philippine Sea and is expected to further intensify into a typhoon before it leaves the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday evening.

Despite its strength, it is not expected to make landfall on any part of the country.

Its trough, however, will bring scattered light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms over Cagayan Valley, Apayao and Ilocos Norte.

Due to the weather system, gale warning was raised on the seaboards of the northern coast of Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora and Quezon provinces, including Polillo Island.