Image: Pagasa / DOST
MANILA, Philippines – Severe Tropical Storm Ambo (International name: Vongfong) may have weakened slightly but moderate to heavy rains are still expected as the weather disturbance remains to cover a huge part of the Luzon landmass.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its late night update that Ambo was last spotted in the vicinity of San Miguel town in Bulacan, with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.
It was seen moving northwest at a speed of 20 kph. Infrared image from Pagasa’s Himawari satellite shows large cloud clusters covering Luzon almost entirely, save for the Bicol Region.
Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 2 is still placed over Metro Manila, Rizal, Northern Quezon including Polilio Islands, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Southern and Western part of Isabela, Northwestern part of Cagayan, and the Babuyan Group of Islands.
Meanwhile, the central part of Quezon province, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite, Bataan, Zambales, rest of Isabela, rest of Cagayan, Batanes, are under Signal No. 1. Aside from these above-mentioned areas, all previous signal warnings issued by Pagasa have been dropped.
Ambo is expected to move out of the Luzon landmass by Saturday evening, at a distance of 155 kilometers west of Calayan in Cagayan. By Sunday evening it is expected to be located at 180 kilometers north northwest of Basco, Batanes.
Ambo may eventually weaken into a low pressure area after it leaves the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday.
Moderate to heavy rains may occur in parts of Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Benguet, Ifugao, and Isabela until Saturday morning.
Despite the weakening of the weather disturbance, sea travel is still prohibited as of now. Residents on the other hand are advised to monitor Pagasa updates on Ambo, and coordinate with local disaster risk reduction management offices for possible evacuation.