MANILA, Philippines – Weather disturbance Butchoy (International name: Nuri) progressed into a tropical storm before leaving the Philippine area of responsibility on Friday evening, state weather specialists said.
According to the last severe weather bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Butchoy’s center, or eye of the storm, was last spotted 415 kilometers west northwest of Dagupan City in Pangasinan.
It now has maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It is moving in a northwestward pattern at a speed of 20 kph.
Butchoy is expected to move toward the southern parts of mainland China, at a distance of 890 kilometers west of extreme northern Luzon.
Despite Butchoy’s exit, light to moderate rains may still be felt in Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan, the northern portion of Palawan including Calamian and Cuyo Islands, and Occidental Mindoro due to the southwest monsoon or “Habagat.”
Pagasa also advised residents in low-lying areas and those near slopes to monitor updates from the state weather agency and the local disaster risk reduction management offices as flooding and landslides may still occur.